Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - The World Rebuilder
by Ryu Taylor the Ferret
Summary: The conclusion of the Hope and Faith saga.
1. Chapter 1 - A Barely Surviving World

**A/N: Welcome to the third part of the Hope and Faith saga! I want to thank everyone who stuck with me to this point. We're almost there. This is the beginning of the Hope and Faith saga's end.**

* * *

Chapter 1 – A Barely Surviving World

* * *

"Good morning, young Eevee! Glad to see you're finally awake!"

The Pokémon speaking to Pelame didn't sound familiar to her. It certainly wasn't Pugno, like it usually was. This Pokémon sounded younger, almost like a child about the age of Azumarill's youngest son at his age when Team Space-Time was founded. When she opened her eyes, the feeling of unfamiliarity grew. Before her stood a Pokémon she had never seen before. It resembled a sea otter, and it carried a shell on its stomach. Its torso was light blue with darker blue feet and a dark blue tail. Its nose was brown and its head was white.

"Am I glad to see you get up! I thought you were going to stay asleep forever!"

Pelame was surprised to find that she appeared to be standing taller than before. The house she was in didn't have a mirror for her to look in to see why that was. But what occupied her thoughts most primarily was who the Pokémon standing in front of her was, and where she was. She started to head outside to see the surroundings.

"Be careful," said the little otter Pokémon. "Don't go too far out of bounds. It's dangerous out there."

"Okay, I won't," Pelame said. She was a bit surprised to hear her own voice had changed a little bit. She had lost a bit of the youth that was in her voice. Like with the height gain, she pushed that thought out of her head and focused on her biggest questions. That reminded her…

"Excuse me, but I've never seen a Pokémon of your kind before," she said. "Are you new around here?"

"Nope, I've lived here all my life," the little Pokémon said. "You must live somewhere where Oshawotts aren't common."

"O-sha-wott? That's your name?"

"Yep. That's my species name, actually. My friends call me Vand."

"Nice to meet you, Vand." Pelame approached the young Oshawott and shook his hand. "I'm Pelame. As you already know, I'm an Eevee."

"I know. You're the tallest Eevee I've ever seen, though. But anyway, I'll show you around."

The two Pokémon left the small house and began exploring the area surrounding it. There were farming fields where Berry Trees were growing, Dojos for a designated move type, shop stands, and game booths.

"Welcome to Pokémon Paradise!" Vand announced enthusiastically. "My friend Torden and I founded it, and Gurdurr and his Timburr crew built everything! How do you like it?"

"It looks amazing!" Pelame said, matching Vand's glee. "You and your friends did an amazing job with this place! It reminds me of my own home, Treasure Town." Pelame's happiness faded away when she mentioned her old home.

"Is something wrong?" Vand asked, noticing Pelame's change in mood.

"No, I'm fine," Pelame answered. "I'm just a bit homesick. That's all. And a bit hungry."

"Oh, that can be fixed. What do you like to eat?"

"If there are any White Gummis available, I'll have some of those."

"Well, you're in luck. We've got lots of those, but no one to eat them. Come on, let's eat!"

Pelame and Vand went to the Post Town Inn for a much-needed meal. Vand had insisted on the meal being his treat, and Pelame was getting attention drawn to her for some reason.

"Vand was just as surprised," she said to a young local Pokémon who had struck up a conversation with her. He had a yellow pouch on each of his cheeks, as well as black fur on his back, head, ears, and tail. He had winglike flaps on his arms.

"I bet," said the youngster. "We never could get him to leave your side. He kept insisting you'd wake up."

"Told you so," Vand said to the child, adding a smug smirk to the remark. He turned his attention back to Pelame. "This is Emolga, another good friend of mine. And this is Dunsparce." Vand pointed to the young snake-like Pokémon with a drill-shaped tail.

"How are you feeling?" Dunsparce asked of Pelame.

"Aside from the hunger, I feel great," she answered. "I am a bit confused, though. The last thing I remember was…" Suddenly, she couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She decided not to dwell on the horrifying thought she came to.

"What? What's the last thing you remember?" Emolga asked.

"Here you are," said a white swan Pokémon carrying two trays of food. "White Gummis for you, Pelame, was it? And Blue Gummis for you, Vand."

"Thanks, Signora Swanna," Vand said, accepting the meal. "Pelame, this is Swanna, the Signora of the Post Town Inn."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Pelame said.

"Same here," said the Signora. "I've saved these White Gummis just for you in case you ever awakened. I hope you enjoy them."

Pelame and Vand dug into their meals and ate their fill at an alarming rate.

"Great as usual!" Vand said.

"I agree!" Pelame added. "I'll definitely be visiting here again! Thanks, Signora, and you too, Vand!"

"My pleasure! It's great to see you happy, Pelame!"

* * *

It had been a fun day in Pokémon Paradise. Pelame had almost forgotten about everything that had happened before. Those thoughts kept her up all night, and she irresistibly was drawn to the border of Paradise. Guiding her was a ghostly image of what appeared to be an Espeon. It beckoned her until they reached the edge of Paradise. When it stepped outside of the bounds, it disappeared. Vand caught up to Pelame just as she was about to follow the specter.

"Where are you going?" Vand asked incredulously. "You can't leave Paradise! It's suicide out there! Torden and a few other of my friends already left and haven't returned since! I don't want to lose you, too! Not since I just met you and got to know you!"

"I don't know why, but something's telling me to leave this place," Pelame answered. "I can take care of myself, Vand. I thank you for all you've done, and I wish the best for you, but I have to go."

"Wait a moment. At least explain to me what's going on with you. Did something put you to sleep for all those months I was watching over you?"

Pelame was taken aback by that statement of Vand's. "Months? I was asleep for months?"

"No, you weren't."

Both Pokémon turned around to face another resident of Paradise. This Pokémon had heads where his hands would be at the ends of his arms, and his body was primarily purple, blue, and grey. His six wings were pitch-black.

"You were asleep for eight years."

"Hydreigon, you know something about this?" Vand asked of the Pokémon.

"Yes," he said. "Pelame came here comatose after an incident that happened in her hometown and the outside world. Eight years ago, a protective force field had to be put around Pokémon Paradise to protect it. Aside from the Alpha Sanctuary, this is the world's only remaining safe haven."

"Eight years ago…" Pelame pondered. She then remembered something important. "Is that how long it's been since the world was attacked by—"

"QUIET!" Hydreigon bellowed. He immediately composed himself after. "My apologies; I didn't mean to be so loud and mean. Please forgive me. But you mustn't speak The World Destroyer's true name."

"Why not? It was fine to say her name before."

"That was before. Nowadays, she's put a horrible curse on her own name. Anyone who speaks it loses their identity. Rather, their spirit. A piece of her own spirit forces itself into whoever speaks her name and forces the victim to serve her."

Pelame remembered the explanation about how Dusknoir was unknowingly harboring a piece of The World Destroyer's spirit within himself all his life.

"You are indeed correct, however. Eight years have passed since her rebirth and her attack on the world."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying the world's still intact?! We're not in the afterlife?!"

"No, we aren't. We are alive. The rest of the world is, too, but just barely. It's not doing well now that The World Destroyer's in charge of it. In just eight years, well… you'll have to see for yourself. And be careful. She's been searching for you for these past eight years. The moment you step out of Paradise, she'll know you're alive. As far as she can tell, you're alive, but invisible. Step outside, and you'll become visible to her. And she'll attempt to kill you."

Vand looked increasingly worried with every word Hydreigon said to Pelame.

"Worse still, as developed as your Alpha powers are, they won't be enough to protect you as they currently are. Your best bet to survive is to just avoid The World Destroyer however you can. Though she'll always know where you are, she won't always be able to chase you herself. You'll also have her servants to contend with, and they're ferocious thanks to them having portions of her spirit within them."

"Then why don't you go with her, then?" Vand asked.

"Because I'm needed here to continue hiding this place from The World Destroyer," he answered. "If something happens to this place, I will indeed be joining. But even then, I can only be of so much assistance."

"Also, clear this up for me; I've been watching over Pelame for about four months. So why are you saying she was asleep for eight years?"

"Because she wasn't in Pokémon Paradise until those last four months. I brought her here from the spot where Treasure Town once stood. A super powerful Alpha Guard of her own making surrounded her and protected her from The World Destroyer for all that time until I fished her out of the rubble that once was the Demon Comet. The Alpha Guard disappeared after I brought her here, having no need to protect her anymore. It had already done that for more than seven years, and it single-handedly saved the world from being completely obliterated by The World Destroyer's Death Orb attack. The attack, as a result of Pelame's heroic action, was only able to ravage the world. Her heroic spirit is strong, and she put everything she had into protecting the world. As a result, she had to regain her energy, hence her being put out of commission for eight years. A piece of that protection shielded her for all these years, and it's still shielding the planet. That shield is the only reason The World Destroyer hasn't already obliterated the planet. She certainly tried to multiple times, but she couldn't break through a shield powered by hope and faith, the virtues she's most against. But she has found a way to weaken it. She's attempting to break the spirits of all who live in the world. She's attempting to make them give in to despair, and if that happens, the shield is gone and the planet is completely open to her attacks. They haven't had it easy holding on to their hopes, especially since they think you're dead, Pelame. But if they see you, hope should return to the world in the capacity that saved the planet from annihilation. They regard you as a beacon of hope."

Pelame and Vand had trouble taking all of this in, though they both now understood what needed to be done.

"I was told about that Alpha Sanctuary place," Pelame said. "One of my friends said Arceus was sealed up at that place."

"So, is that where you'll be going?" Vand asked.

"Yes, it is," Pelame answered. "I have a feeling his help may be needed."

"It sounds like you've made your mind up, then. I wish you the best of luck, Pelame."

"Oh, I'm not leaving yet. I have to get some things ready and get a good night's sleep. I'll need to be in top shape just in case I bump into The World Destroyer the instant I leave Paradise."

"Okay, then. Let's get back to the house."

* * *

That night at Vand's house, Pelame was getting her Exploration Team Toolbox ready to embark on what would likely be her greatest journey.

"Pelame, even though I only knew you for a day, I'm really going to miss you when you go," Vand confessed.

"Me too," Pelame responded. "You've been so kind to me even though I'm a total stranger to you. Apparently, I haven't experienced such kindness in eight years. Regardless, I thank you for everything. Good night."

"Good night, Pelame."

The two Pokémon were off to sleep in seconds.

* * *

The next morning, Pelame had finished packing her supplies. She had her Alpha Amulet on her, as well as an Exploration Team Toolbox full of many kinds of food and drink. Vand was nowhere to be found. Pelame then left the house. As soon as she got to Pokémon Paradise's border, she heard Vand call out to her.

"There you are, Pelame," he said. He was also carrying a Toolbox full of food and drinks. "Let's get going."

"Excuse me?" Pelame asked. "Does this mean—"

"Yes it does. I'm going with you. I've got some friends out there somewhere, and I refuse to believe they died out there. Plus, against an opponent like The World Destroyer, I'd be happy to lend you a hand."

"EXCUSE ME?" Pelame asked, loudly and incredulously. "Sorry, but I don't think you understand the danger of having The World Destroyer as a mortal enemy."

"So what if she's your mortal enemy?"

"So what if—" Pelame couldn't believe her ears. This little kid couldn't be seriously offering to accompany her to the Alpha Sanctuary, could he? "So wha… so wh… Okay, listen. The World Destroyer is a monster of the most horrible kind. I'm her mortal enemy. She doesn't want me to just get out of her way! She wants me DEAD! You heard Hydreigon last night! She's been psychotically searching for me for eight years! Arceus only knows how many she killed while doing so! And if you come with me, she'll label you as an enemy, too!"

"Don't you think I know that? And Hydreigon didn't phrase it like—"

"The point is, Vand, that she doesn't care how young you are! If she sees you even a mile near me, she'll treat you as a problem that needs to be taken care of! You. Could. Die!"

"Yes, Pelame! I know that! If it means getting you to the Alpha Sanctuary and finding all of our friends again, I'd gladly risk my life!"

That statement caught Pelame off-guard.

"The thing is, I trust you, Pelame. I believe you'll make it to the Alpha Sanctuary. I just want to see you get there. And I also have my own friends to look for, too. You must have some friends out there, too. We'll find them together. Just let me come with you. I refuse to just stand here while The World Destroyer goes around massacring whatever she wants whenever she wants."

It was surprising that this little kid knew exactly what to say to make Pelame come to the decision she did.

"When you put it that way, I agree," she said. "I'm not standing here while The World Destroyer makes a mess out of the world. And I won't make you do that. But I can't stress enough; it will be an extremely dangerous journey, and I don't even know how long it will take us to get there. It could be months or years."

"Well, the world held on for eight years. We've kept it waiting for too long."

"Yes, we have. So, shall we get going, then?"

"Yes, indeed!"

"It's sure going to be empty here without you," Emolga said, having arrived to see him off.

"Stay out of trouble, will you?" Dunsparce said.

"We'll try," Pelame said. "And we'll be back when we can be."

"Well then, are you two ready?" Hydreigon asked.

"Yes, we're ready," Pelame answered.

The two Pokémon left the safety of Pokémon Paradise to begin their quest.

* * *

Just outside Pokémon Paradise was a sight that horrified the two travelers. Everything was dark and the land was ravaged. No signs of life were around and the ground was uneven. The sky was black, darkening the land. It reminded Pelame of the paralyzed future her friend Grovyle had come from with Pugno accompanying him. It was as though the world had reentered that dark age, and somehow managed to get even worse than that.

"ALPHA DEFEND!" Pelame suddenly shouted, shielding herself and her new partner from an incoming attack. The two hadn't even begun their journey by the time the attack happened.

**"When I kill you, Pelame, you are supposed to remain dead,"** said an unpleasantly familiar voice. As Hydreigon had warned the night before, The World Destroyer had instantly homed in on her whereabouts. **"And for you, young Oshawott that I overlooked, the same fate awaits you."**

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Introducing Paradise – Our First Meeting (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Gates to Infinity)

The Espeon Beckons – Follow Fi (Zelda – Skyward Sword)

The Voice of Life Explains – Fi's Theme (Zelda – Skyward Sword)

Leaving Paradise – The Goddess Sword (Zelda – Skyward Sword)


	2. Chapter 2 - The World Destroyer's Regime

Chapter 2 – The World Destroyer's Regime

* * *

**"Bring the next one in."**

A frightened young Rattata was forcefully shoved into a dark circular room. A pink cat-like creature with a long tail floated upward and took a seat next to The World Destroyer. The fiend couldn't be seen past the dark aura she exuded.

**"Mew, read the charges."**

"Young Rattata, you are charged with a crime that both The World Destroyer and I find inexcusable. You have been committing this crime for the past two years."

"But what was it I did?!" the young Rattata pleaded.

"What is your age?"

"I'm just a kid! I'm only two years old!"

**"And that's your crime, youngster. Birth. And as everyone knows, there's a special way I punish that. Death."**

"No! Wait a minute! You can't do that to me! Please, just let me go home!"

**"But a new home is where you're going, young criminal."**

At that, the snowflake-shaped sigil of the Demon-type glowed, and the circular section of the floor it was situated on raised itself to the ceiling, crushing the young Rattata to death. The entire pillar was then set aflame with Pyreflame to burn the remains, leaving nothing when it sank back into the floor.

"I never get tired of this," Mew said with excitement in her voice.

**"Neither do I,"** the World Destroyer responded.** "Though I still wish Pelame was the one I was doing this to. Still no luck finding her, I assume?"**

"Unfortunately, no. I still wish I could say 'yes' to that question, like I have for the past eight years. I'm so sorry, World Destroyer! I'm trying the best I can to help you find her! Honest, I am! It'll happen one day! And when it does—"

**"Calm yourself, Mew."**

"You're right. If I am to please you, I need to keep a cool head. But you do know that I'll do anything to please you."

**"Well, in that case…"**

"New orders?"

**"Indeed. And this is a very big one."**

* * *

Grovyle and Celebi were given absolutely no time to stop and rest by their ruthless pursuer. Both Pokémon were weak against the assailant's fire attacks, especially since said fire attacks were boosted by the pursuer's Demon-typing.

"Luck kept you alive for these past eight years, meddlers!" shouted the assailant. "But where's your Alpha Bloodline friends now?!"

"Protect!" Celebi shouted, bringing up an energy shield around herself and Grovyle. The Demon-enhanced Flamethrower attack was too much for Celebi to block, and she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Grovie…" she pleaded. "…save yourself."

Celebi was then snatched up by the assailant, who was a giant bird whose wings and head were flaming, and had a tail made of fire.

"Drill Peck!" shouted the assailant, getting ready to attack. In a very quick movement, Grovyle sprang forward and snatched Celebi from the flaming bird's talon. With her in his arms, he ran off into the part of the surrounding forest that hadn't yet been burned down. The two unfortunately couldn't get far before reaching a cliff. The pursuer's Flame Charge attack shoved them over the edge, causing Grovyle to land painfully on the ground fifty feet below, having kept Celebi safe from the fall. The flaming bird stood over them from atop the cliff and smirked triumphantly.

"Inferno Blast!" he shouted, combining a Fire Blast with a Diabolic Inferno to create an attack that would surely be the end of Grovyle and Celebi. The two could do nothing to escape. As far as they thought, it was over for them, picked off by one of The World Destroyer's servants.

"Evil Threads!" shouted a familiar voice. Grovyle and Celebi were pulled away from the attack by energy threads generated by a female Sneasel. "Hey, Moltres!" she said, addressing the flaming bird on top of the cliff. "How many times are you going to keep losing your kills to me? Give up already!"

"Thanks, Blessing!" Celebi said. "Thanks for saving us!"

"Sure thing, but we should focus on getting away from Moltres first," Blessing responded.

"But what about Grovyle? He landed really hard on the ground from that fall."

"Don't worry about me," Grovyle said as he struggled to his feet. "I can keep up."

"Then let's get going!" Blessing said. The three were off just as Moltres reached them after leaving his perch.

* * *

"What a prestige it is to be in such great company as the great Guildmaster Wigglytuff!" said a foxlike Pokémon that had dark red fur that resembled a robe surrounding his legs, yet allowing his tail out. Similarly colored fur covered his arms. Brighter red fur came out of his ears. On his ears, ear fur, and face were patterns painted on them. He was joined by the staff of the Wigglytuff Guild, who had taken temporary shelter in an old two-room cottage. They were all in the dining room, sharing a meal that was much too small for any of the Pokémon.

"But you don't know about any of his accomplishments yet!" Loudred said. "You've only just MET the guy. And WE'VE only just met YOU!"

"Quiet, Loudred! Don't be rude to our guest!" Chatot chastised. He then addressed the new face. "Please excuse him. He's our most excitable trainee."

"I see," said the guest. "Do you still do Guild functions even though you lost your Guild?"

"We try to," Wigglytuff answered. "With the world the way it is now, there's much to do."

"Indeed," Chatot added. "With that fiend The World Destroyer in charge, we're lucky to be able to rest, let alone stay alive. And with Pelame and Pugno gone, well, I don't think the world will ever go back to being peaceful ever again. Those two…"

"They kept this world safe on many an occasion," continued Wigglytuff. "But, eight years ago, their greatest foe finally vanquished them."

"I see," said the guest. "They were friends of yours, and enemies of The World Destroyer."

"Exactly," said Chatot. "She had a particular hatred for Pelame. Really, I couldn't believe how much hatred a living being could have for another living being. I guess it prevailed, though…"

Chatot got up and excused himself from the dining room. Wigglytuff followed after him.

"Pelame…" Chatot said in his solitude. "At least…you and Pugno are in a better place. But, I…"

"Yes, Chatot," Wigglytuff said, joining Chatot. "I miss them, too."

"Oh, Guildmaster!" Chatot rushed over to Wigglytuff and hugged him as tightly as he could. "What are we going to do? I can't stand this! I miss them so much! They were…they were…" Chatot couldn't finish his sentence. He was too heartbroken to say anything else.

"They meant a lot to all they knew," Wigglytuff said. "That's why we need to do what we can. They would have wanted us to do what we can to make the world a good place to live."

"But with The World Destroyer ruling the world, how is that even possible?! She ruins _everything_ we do toward that goal!"

"Even mere minutes of peace matter in the long run, especially in times like this."

"I know, Guildmaster, but after eight years of this madness—"

The temperature suddenly spiked up, and the surroundings took on a fiery glow. The foxlike Pokémon was guarding the cottage with his Protect move, though the attack was proving to be difficult to hold off. Soon, the assailant arrived at the cottage's doorstep. All the Pokémon inside had left the house already.

"Did I interrupt your dinner?" Moltres asked. "Lucky you for even being able to find something to eat."

"You have no business here, Moltres!" said the fox Pokémon. "Be on your way now, and leave these Pokémon be!"

"Well, if you say so," Moltres responded, landing on one talon. "I already made a few catches, anyway." He lifted up his other talon, showing Grovyle, Celebi, and Blessing ensnared in Evil Threads.

"I'd release them, if I were you," the fox Pokémon said, as if to warn his opponent.

"No, I wouldn't. Demon-types don't take orders from anyone except Mew and The World Destroyer. Magus, I thought you knew that."

"Very well, then. You asked for this." The fox Pokémon brandished a stick with a burning tip. "Psybeam!"

Moltres held up his captives in an attempt to use them as a shield. However, a Hydro Pump hit him in the face, ruining his trick and leaving him to be hit by the fox's Psybeam attack.

"Good shot, brother," the fox said. "Not a moment too soon!"

"This drone's still giving you trouble, huh?" said the rescuer, who was a black froglike Pokémon with a very long red tongue that wrapped around his collar area. "Magus, let's get him once again."

"Fine by me, Shadow," the fox now known as Magus said to the frog now known as Shadow.

"Water Shuriken!" Shadow said, attacking with water projectiles in the shape of shurikens. Moltres tried to block by using his hostages again, which failed when Magus used his Psychic powers to alter the shuriken's flight path. The shuriken sliced cleanly through the threads binding Grovyle, Celebi, and Blessing.

"Looks like you weren't taught how to properly use the threads," Blessing taunted. "That's gonna set you up for a humiliating failure report to tell The World Destroyer."

Seeing that the tables had turned on him, Moltres flew away in a huff. "Things won't be this way next time!" he roared as he flew off.

"And also, he missed the memo telling him not to rage out of a fight like that," Blessing said. She stuck her tongue out in the direction Moltres had gone. However, before Moltres could get far, something shot him down. He fell to the ground, landing painfully on his back.

"Well, you haven't gotten any better at this," said Mew, who appeared just as Moltres struggled to stand. "The World Destroyer isn't pleased with you."

Moltres's bravado went away in an instant and became cowardice.

"But I'll let you off the hook," Mew continued. "I'll just let her punish you once she arrives."

"Wait! In that case, just deal with me yourself! Don't leave me to her! Anything but that!"

Moltres's pleading went unanswered as Mew left on her assignment. She soon arrived at her destination and attacked.

"It's always great chasing you around," she said, undaunted by her Psybeam being blocked by Magus. "Tired of running from me yet?"

A quick Feint Attack stopped Mew's attack.

"I love using moves to answer questions," Shadow said, gloating. "But if you want a word, then how about 'no?' And also, we'll never be."

"Good shot once again, Shadow," Magus said.

"Thanks, brother. You can leave The World Destroyer's lapdog to me."

"Well, those Guild Pokémon need to be protected, so, for this once, I'll leave Mew to you."

With that, Magus was off, teleporting himself and the Guild Pokémon away from the unfolding fight.

"Such a moron you have for a brother," Mew taunted.

"Better a dysfunctional family than an army of evil," Shadow retorted. "Let's get on with it."

Mew needed no prompt to start attacking.

* * *

Moltres struggled to stand. He was determined to finish off his targets, primarily out of fear of the consequences. Better Mew be his punisher than The World Destroyer as far as he was concerned.

"Don't…worry…," he mumbled. "I can…get them."

**"There's no need for you to strain yourself, Moltres."**

Moltres reeled in fear of the voice that spoke to him.

**"Lie back down on the ground, unless you wish to disappoint me more."**

As The World Destroyer appeared, the surrounding environment got colder and darker. Though he had only been working for her for six months, Moltres knew those to be the signals of his boss's presence. He had also learned to associate the severity of those signals with her anger, since everything was colder and darker when her emotions ran high. With that in regard, he got back down on the ground as told.

"My liege, please allow me another chance," Moltres pleaded, never being able to hide his complete fear of who he was speaking to. "I can get them! Honest, I can!"

**"Your recent track record contradicts your pleas," **The World Destroyer said. **"I'd like to tell you about a Pokémon I once knew. He was called Darkrai. He was one of my most reliable vessels. He was one I could count on using more than once. In fact, he's the one I trusted with living through when I was unable to walk the planet in my actual form. Unlike you, he was worth having as a vessel. Of course, he had a higher purpose to serve, which he fulfilled in full eight years ago. His purpose being for his life to end by my hand, and his spirit helping to amplify my power."**

"But if given the chance, I can be as good as him! Proving myself to you is all that matters now!"

**"You don't need to prove yourself to me anymore, because you already have. You've proven to me that you can't be relied on for even the simplest tasks. You've shown me that you are an incompetent and overconfident gun-ho flatterer who flattered himself to the point where he thought he could please me with his repeated failures."**

"Those were just accident—" Moltres was interrupted by The World Destroyer stepping on his beak, clamping it shut. All he could see of her was her right arm, which was opening up. His heart was racing as he started to comprehend what was about to happen to him.

**"But this is something I can indeed trust you with. You get to reside within my own spirit, just like Darkrai. Doesn't that make you proud, my little failure?"**

The World Destroyer took a step back and lunged her fully open right arm at Moltres, swallowing him whole with it as he gave one last terrified scream.

**"Now, Pelame shall be next. I knew she'd awaken."**

* * *

"ALPHA DEFEND!" Pelame suddenly shouted, shielding herself and her new partner from an incoming attack. The two hadn't even begun their journey by the time the attack happened.

**"When I kill you, Pelame, you are supposed to remain dead,"** The World Destroyer said, having instantly homed in on Pelame's whereabouts. **"And for you, young Oshawott that I overlooked, the same fate awaits you."**

Vand assumed a fighting stance. Neither he nor Pelame could see The World Destroyer's form, being hidden by a dark aura. All he could see of her was her orange eyes and her right arm. He dodged an attack that came from her eyes.

**"I can assure you that, however you managed to get Pelame to let you go with her, it wasn't a smart thing to do."**

"The real dumb thing was thinking you'd get away with what you did to the world," Vand retorted. "Hydro Pump!" Vand's attack dissolved into nothingness before it could make contact with the enemy. Pelame's Alpha Blast managed to land a direct hit afterwards. This was retaliated against, however. Pelame lost control of her body movements, having been strung up by The World Destroyer's Evil Thread technique. Vand's attempt to cut her loose only served to get him snared as well. Vand then unleashed his Razor Shell attack against his will and moved to attack Pelame with it.

"Pelame, watch out!" he shouted, concerned for his new friend.

"Alpha Guard!" Pelame shouted, still being able to use her Alpha powers. The World Destroyer took the opportunity when the shield fell to reel Pelame in and grip her by the neck with her right hand.

**"It also wasn't smart of you to knock yourself out for eight years to save your planet, Pelame," **she said to the struggling Eevee. **"As you can see, you didn't do that good a job protecting the world. You just as good as gave it to me, and I have no intention of losing it again."**

Purple electricity surged through The World Destroyer's right arm and started coursing through Pelame. Vand could do nothing but watch, still snared by the threads.

**"I will not give you the chance to begin ruining everything I aspire for. Right here as your journey was to begin, you will disappear!"**

Pelame wasn't going to allow herself to fail so soon. Mustering a great reserve of energy, she launched an Alpha Flash attack that blinded The World Destroyer and freed her from her grip. She then freed Vand from the threads.

"Great shot, Pelame!" Vand said, congratulating his new friend.

"Thanks! Now hold on tight!" Pelame said as she took hold of Vand's hand. "Alpha Warp!"

Just as The World Destroyer had regained her composure, Pelame and Vand had already vanished. Surprisingly, she was not daunted by this.

**"You're lost in my world of death,"** she mused. **"You haven't escaped."**

* * *

Pelame opened her eyes as she reemerged from her teleportation.

"Are you okay, Vand?" she asked. She became concerned when she received no answer. In fact, Vand was nowhere to be found.

"Vand? Where are you?"

Again, no answer came.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Chased by Moltres – Black Tornado (Zelda – Skyward Sword)

Magus Dines with the Guild Crew – Wigglytuff Guild (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers OST)

Chatot's Sadness – Treasured Memories (Kingdom Hearts 1 OST)

Magus and Shadow vs Moltres – Tension Rising (Kingdom Hearts 2 OST)

Moltres Punished - Holy Nightmare Co. (Kirby of the Stars Anime OST)

Pelame and Vand Intercepted – Primal Dialga Attacks! (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers OST)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Village of Silence

Chapter 3 – The Village of Silence

* * *

"*hah*…*hah*…Whoa,… that was scary!" Vand said. "Thank goodness you thought so quickly, Pelame! We almost—" He turned to see that no one was behind him. "Pelame?" He looked around frantically for any sign of her. "Pelame! Stop hiding! This isn't funny!"

No matter where he searched in the empty field he found himself in, Pelame was nowhere to be found. The only Pokémon he was finding instead were either hostile or afraid. The hostile ones let him know their overprotective survival tactics by driving him away with simple yet painful Tackle attacks.

"Pelame! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Once again, he received no answer. After many minutes of fruitless searching, it finally became clear to him that he had gotten separated from Pelame. He couldn't comprehend how that could have happened, since the last thing she did before their separation was teleport herself to safety and take him along. It was all she could do on such short notice since they had been cornered by The World Destroyer.

That reminded him about something. Hydreigon had said something about The World Destroyer. "Though she'll always know where you are, she won't always be able to chase you herself," Vand remembered him saying. That thought wasn't reassuring, especially since it wasn't likely for a creature as belligerent as The World Destroyer to keep tabs on just one Pokémon. However, he refused to believe the worst had happened to Pelame. He had also remembered the advice about the Alpha Guard protecting the planet, and did his best to keep his hopes up in order to keep the shield alive. In turn, that made him forget about his fear of The World Destroyer finding him, and he found the will to continue traveling.

"Don't worry, Pelame," he said to himself. "I'll find you soon. Just hang in there."

Vand soon happened upon a small village. He saw no Pokémon out in the streets, but he refused to be discouraged. Going past a district of houses, he ended up in the village square. He found a tree growing Oran Berries. It was standing next to another tree that was growing Lum Berries. In front of the two trees was a small stage with a strange object on it that resembled an instrument of some kind. It had five pipes colored red, orange, yellow, blue, and green, with levers below them of matching colors. At its base were five keys of the same five colors. Vand could press down on one of the keys by standing on it. When he tried that, the instrument played a short introduction tune all by itself. Vand recognized that jingle, and in turn, it jogged his memory of who had this machine built.

"Meloetta's Musical Paradise," he reminisced. "It looks just like the one back in Paradise."

"I even got it to sound like the one back in Paradise."

Vand's memory served him correctly. The Pokémon speaking to him was indeed who he remembered. She had what looked like a green musical score for hair which had a black piece in it resembling a microphone. She had on what appeared to be a black dress. The only thing unfamiliar about her was the staff she was carrying, which had an eighth note on top of it.

"Welcome, old friend," she said to Vand.

"It's so great to see you again, Meloetta!" Vand said, hugging his old friend. The moment was interrupted by his growling stomach.

"Leave that to me, Vand," Meloetta said. Holding his hand, she led him to the most elaborately built cottage in the village, the only structure with three floors as opposed to all the other buildings which had two. The only room on the third floor was where she was headed. It was a kitchen, dining room, and rumpus room all in one. A meal was already prepared, and Meloetta offered it to Vand.

"Blue Gummis! My favorite!" Vand cried. "Thanks!" Having been starving, Vand finished the meal at an amazing speed. Just when he downed the last morsel, it got stuck in his throat. It was nothing a quick drink of water couldn't take care of.

"Take it easy!" Meloetta chided.

"Yeah, okay," Vand responded, regaining his breath. "So, what is this place, anyway?"

"I'm glad you asked. This place is called the Village of Silence. Personally, I am clueless as to how it got such an ominous name, but I think that you'll find that this is quite a nice place to live."

"Chief Meloetta! The village has a visitor!" said a small green Pokémon with tusks, who came barging in. Vand turned his attention back to Meloetta as soon as he heard her being referred to as a chief. "Is this him?" the tusked Pokémon asked when he noticed Vand.

"Yes, this is our visitor," Meloetta answered. "This is my old friend Vand. And Vand, this is Axew. He's a resident of this village and a very active member of the community. He looks after the Oran and Lum Trees in the village square."

"Wait a second, Meloetta," Vand said, still focused on his biggest question. "You're the chief of this village?!"

"Yes, she is," Axew answered on the chief's behalf.

"How did that happen?! I mean, this is amazing news! You, my friend Meloetta, the chief of a village!"

"I'd be glad to tell you, Vand," Meloetta began. "As you know, I had left with many of the Pokémon Paradise residents to seek out anyone who could help improve the world's condition. Some of us ended up being needed in various places, and this happens to be where my calling is. This village's populace was facing starvation when I first entered, so I shared some of my food rations with them. I found a patch of soil to plant an Oran Seed and a Lum Seed some time later, and Axew helped me take care of the plants as they grew. While they were growing, I went out to gather more food for the villagers, feeding them while the trees grew under Axew's supervision and care. And once they grew, the villagers decided to name me their Chief. Axew was also offered the position alongside me, but he declined."

"I still stand by that decision," Axew said. "Meloetta's more cut out to lead, anyway."

"What an incredible story," Vand said, awestruck by Meloetta's tale. "Meloetta, the Chief of the Village of Silence. Pardon me if I can't help being proud of you, and of knowing the Chief."

"And how do you know the Chief, Vand?" Axew asked.

"Oh, we go back quite far," Vand said. "She visited Pokémon Paradise one day and asked us to help her build a Musical Paradise. Our friendship formed when the Paradise Crew all pitched in to help her build it, and she basically moved to Paradise as soon as we finished. Oh, that reminds me…" Vand turned back to Meloetta. "Who helped you build that Musical Paradise near the trees?"

"That would be Axew," Meloetta answered. "I got the materials myself, which was much easier this time considering I had gotten much stronger since I moved to Paradise. And Axew helped me with the building. By the way, if you're wanting to stay here, Axew can house you for the night."

"Oh, that would definitely be fine with me," Axew said joyfully. "You'll have a roommate, too!"

"Well, I won't be staying here forever," Vand answered. "But I'll stay for this one night. I'm getting pretty tired, actually."

"In that case, come with me," Axew said.

"Okay. Thanks for dinner, Melo— Chief Meloetta!" Vand said gratefully.

"You're very welcome, Vand," Meloetta responded. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

Vand followed Axew to his house, which was only three houses down from Meloetta's residence. Axew showed Vand to the guest room of the house, which had one bed in it. At the foot of the bed was what appeared to be a sleeping bag.

"Your roommate will decide where you sleep tonight," Axew said. "Though I'll try to talk her into letting you have the bed. Wish me luck, though, since your roommate is tough as nails."

"WHO'S tough as nails?"

A Sneasel entered the room.

"Oh, hello there, Blessing," Axew said. "This is the village's new visitor, and he'll be staying here tonight."

"Yeah, I figured," Blessing said. "And I'm not giving the bed up. But if he wants the bed, I'll make room for him."

"Blessing, please don't be so stingy. This child's tired, and he—"

"Wait, child?! Oh, take the bed, then! No way am I taking a bed from a little kid!"

"Thanks for being sensible. Good night, you two." Axew then left the room.

"You know, you can still have the bed," Vand said. "You don't need to give it to me just because I'm younger than you."

"You're pretty kind for a kid," Blessing responded. "I'm Blessing." She shook Vand's hand.

"I'm Vand," Vand said. "Nice to meet you. But seriously, I'll sleep on the floor tonight."

"Oh, no you won't. The floor is mine tonight." Blessing dived into the sleeping bag, accidentally tearing a section of it with her claws. "Try getting me out of this sleeping bag."

"You're kinda stubborn," Vand said, beginning to chuckle. "But also kinda funny."

"Well, the world could use some entertainment. Am I right?"

"Totally. Especially with a maniac trying to depress the whole world to death."

"Preaching to the choir on that one, kiddo." Blessing then yawned loudly.

"By the way, your tail feathers are poking out of your sleeping bag."

Blessing glanced back and saw that Vand was right. "Oh. So that's why I felt a draft on my behind. Nothing can be done about that. Good night, kid."

Vand climbed into the bed. "Good night, Blessing."

The two Pokémon quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Nice Pokémon," Axew said, climbing into his own bed. "Why can't the world have more like them?"

Axew soon got settled in and fell asleep. His sleep was a deep one that made him oblivious to the break-in that happened a few minutes later. A Sableye smashed through the window and beat down the door to the guest room. He then snatched the sleeping bag with Blessing still in it. Neither Blessing nor Vand were awakened by all of this happening. By the time Blessing started to wake up, the burglar had already made off into the streets. Meloetta appeared before the burglar and stopped him with a Heart Stopper attack. The thieving Sableye was paralyzed on the spot and then cast out of the village by the chief.

"Are you okay, Blessing?" Meloetta asked.

"Yeah," Blessing answered in a groggy tone. "Though I couldn't help but notice how you drove him away. Only Demon-types can use that attack."

"Indeed, they can," Meloetta answered. "Come with me."

Blessing got out of the sleeping bag, though she didn't follow Meloetta.

"Aren't you coming, Blessing? There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Oh, there's no need to explain," Blessing said. "Besides, I'd like to get a head-start. I was leaving tomorrow, anyway."

"No, Blessing," Meloetta said, taking on a sudden ominous tone. "You're not leaving this village." Meloetta suddenly snatched Blessing with Evil Threads coming from her staff. "This is the only way I can keep others from knowing about my Demon-typing." Meloetta took a moment to use her natural Psychic power to fix Axew's broken window and guest room door from where she stood. She then forcibly escorted Blessing to the village square, covering her mouth with her hand. She sent a tiny ball of energy into the yellow pipe of the Musical Paradise. A door opened behind the contraption. Meloetta entered it with her hostage in tow.

"That stupid Sableye caused me to expose my secret to you," Meloetta said. "Please do believe me when I say that I don't really want to do this to you. I really don't. But since you saw me use my Demon-type power, I have no other way to keep my secret. It's no fun being a Demon-type; everyone thinks you're a monster for it."

Blessing mentally noted the irony of Meloetta's statement.

"Well, this is where you'll be staying from now on," Meloetta said. She then let go of Blessing and stood her up.

"Like heck it is!" Blessing retorted. Meloetta still had her bound by threads, preventing any escape attempt. "There's no keeping something this big a secret!"

"Yes there is," Meloetta responded. "And again, I regret resorting to this. Silence!"

With a wave of her staff, Meloetta cast a strange spell on Blessing. Blessing felt no pain from it, but she felt as if something was covering her mouth. Meloetta then shoved her into a door on the other side of the hall, and then released her from the threads binding her.

"Again, I cannot apologize enough for this," Meloetta said. "Please forgive me, but there really is no other way." Meloetta then left the secret chamber. Blessing then attempted to remove what was covering her mouth. But when her hands reached her mouth, she felt nothing covering it. In fact, she didn't even feel her mouth. She then realized what Meloetta's Silence technique had actually done to her: it had made her mouth completely disappear from her face. Her nose was still intact, allowing her to breathe. After her initial panic, she noticed that she wasn't alone in this makeshift prison. She saw Grovyle and three other Pokémon in there. One was a Meowth that looked faintly familiar to her. The other two were horse-like in body shape. One of them was green and white, and had two horns on either side of her head, and no mane. The other had a red mane and a long blue tail. All four of the Pokémon were rendered unable to speak by the threads keeping their mouths shut.

"Hmm mgn gmmf?" Blessing mumbled through where her mouth was. Though her speech was unintelligible, the young Meowth could tell what she was trying to ask. With his claws, he scratched into the dirt on the ground, "OUR VOICES HAVE BEEN STOLEN BY MELOETTA."

_"And yet, I lose my mouth _instead _of _my _voice,"_ Blessing complained in her thoughts.

The young Meowth went to the other prisoners and spelled their named out in the dirt. In front of the green one, he spelled "VIRIZION." In front of the red-maned one, he spelled "KELDEO." And in front of Grovyle, he spelled "GROVYLE." And then, in front of himself, he spelled "MEOWTH." Blessing took this cue to spell her own name in front of herself. Before any other improvised conversations could take place, the dirt suddenly reset to normal. Blessing suspected this to be another Demon-type trick. Resigned to her predicament, she settled next to Grovyle and went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Vand had gotten himself ready to resume his journey. Meloetta was there at the edge of the village to see him off.

"Good luck, Vand," she said, giving Vand a hug.

"Thanks for everything, Chief Meloetta," Vand responded.

"But Vand, you must listen to me. There are many Demon-type Pokémon out there. I beg you to steer clear of them. They are ruthless monsters who will stop at nothing to make your journey come to an end."

"I know about them, and I'll be careful. Thanks for the warning. And take care of yourself!" Vand left the village on that note, looking back only to wave goodbye to Meloetta, who was also waving goodbye to him.

"I hope he never does run into a Demon type," Meloetta said to herself as soon as Vand was gone. "It's bad enough I'm one and he was near me."

"And what, may I ask, is so wrong with Demon-types?" Mew demanded, appearing to Meloetta. "Nothing's wrong with Demon-types, you soft-heart!"

"Go away, will you?!" Meloetta said. "I don't need you bothering me now!"

"Going soft once again, huh?" Mew taunted. "What'll you tell me _this_ time? Will it be, 'I'll see to her later,' or, 'I've got something planned for them?'"

"I'll tell you something now if you want: GO AWAY!"

"Very well, I'll leave for now. Just don't expect The World Destroyer to go easy on your hostages, or on you." With that, Mew was off.

* * *

In a nearby forest, Vand had continued searching for any friends of his that he could think of.

"Torden?! Pelame?! Anybody?!" he shouted, with no response. He refused to be discouraged, knowing well what would happen if his spirits were to waver.

"Are you looking for someone, young one?" asked an unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Yes, I am," Vand answered. "I'm sorry, but you aren't who I'm looking for."

"I see," said the Pokémon. "Perhaps I can help you find who you're looking for. My name is Magus."

"I'm Vand," Vand said, shaking Magus's hand. "And that sounds like a good idea."

Suddenly, Vand felt a dizzy sensation. His vision went completely black, and then a white flash of light shot across the darkness.

* * *

_Vand found himself standing in front of the ruins of an icy palace with Pelame standing next to him. Together they entered the ruins. Inside, they found—_

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Village of Silence/Meloetta's Theme – Tenda Village (EarthBound OST)

Meloetta's Secret – Disquieting (Kingdom Hearts ReChain of Memories OST)

Mew's Theme – Xehanort: The Early Days (Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance OST)

Vand's Vision – N's Castle (Pokémon Black 2 / White 2, YoshiDude12's remix)


	4. Chapter 4 - The Amulet's Owner

Chapter 4 – The Amulet's Owner

* * *

"…what just happened to me?" Vand said as soon as he came to.

"It looks to me like you had a Dimensional Scream vision," Magus answered. "But that could only be if you're a member of the Alpha Bloodline."

"Alpha Bloodline? Me? But how is that possible? That means I can do those weird special abilities Pelame can do?"

"Come again? What was that name you mentioned?"

"Pelame. She's one of the Pokémon I'm looking for. She and I got separated when she teleported us away from The World Destroyer's ambush when the two of us left Pokémon Paradise. You see, she was waiting just outside of Paradise so that she could ambush us as soon as we left. We barely managed to escape."

"I see." Magus understood the point where Pelame and Vand strayed now. "Unfortunately, her teleporting you and herself to safety is exactly why you two got separated."

* * *

"—come again?!" Pelame cried. "_Where_ was it I went wrong?"

"Nowhere," Shadow said to Pelame. "It's just that your escape plan got screwed with. The World Destroyer is fully aware of how her enemies can possibly escape from her, so she thinks ahead. For those who can teleport, she messes with their reemergence to the point where not even she knows where she sends them. I'm afraid that's why you and Vand got separated; because she discombobulated your teleportation and made you two reappear at completely different parts of the world. I'm guessing you didn't want to end up here at the Hazy Pass, did you?"

"Honestly, all I was thinking about was getting away from The World Destroyer."

"I guess you just didn't know, then. I can't blame you. After all, you've been away for eight years. But I think the world should know you're back. You said you had left Paradise yesterday, and yesterday was when _that_ appeared." Shadow pointed to the sky, telling Pelame to look there. In the sky was an Alpha Sigil, glowing as if it was marking a destination.

"The Alpha Sanctuary," Pelame said. "I think that sigil is marking where it is and where I should be going."

* * *

"I remember the Alpha Sanctuary being mentioned," Vand continued. "Just what is that place?"

"Come with me," Magus said, leading Vand. "There's somewhere nearby you should visit. If you are truly a member of the Alpha Bloodline, your questions about it will be answered. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the Alpha Sanctuary, other than that is where Arceus is waiting to meet the chosen one."

"And I guess The World Destroyer doesn't want this chosen one to meet him. And as for this chosen one, I have a hunch as to who it is."

"Everyone shares your thought, Vand. The fact that the sigil appeared in the sky further supports the theory."

"Then I guess that's yet another reason for The World Destroyer's utter hatred for Pelame. Honestly, I've never in my life seen such contempt for another living creature as she showed to her. It's actually really scary. I mean, when Munna was working for Kyurem, she hated the world and thought there was nothing good in it. But that looked like a mother's love to a child compared to The World Destroyer's murderous obsession with Pelame."

"I can agree with you on that." Magus then stopped. "We have arrived. This is an entrance to an Alpha Shrine." In the area of the forest they reached, a slab with an Alpha Sigil stood tall in front of them. "If you are truly an Alpha Bloodline member, you will be allowed to enter."

Vand took a step forward and stopped in front of the slab. He decided to lay a hand on it, and it triggered a dizzy sensation once again.

* * *

_Meloetta sat alone in her residence back in the Village of Silence. It looked as though something was bothering her._

_"If only I could stop being forced to expose my Demon-type power in front of visitors," she lamented. "Virizion, Keldeo, Strike, and Blessing, why did you have to see me unleashing such evil power?!"_

_"Well, if you hate being a vessel so much, then why did you sign up to be one?" Mew taunted, appearing to Meloetta._

_"Mew, don't try it," Meloetta retorted with annoyance. "You know full well how I became one of you cretins. It was your fault."_

_"Maybe it was, but you made no effort to escape when I captured you. Really, I think you did this to yourself, and you're just looking to blame me because you hate me."_

_"And who _couldn't _hate you, you smug little twerp?! You're just as bad as The World Destroyer herself! You know you only joined her to get a Demon-typing out of it!"_

_"Yeah, so? It's been that way for many years. I wanted it, you didn't. Though it still mystifies me why you don't want it, and how you can resist being as much a beast as the rest of us."_

_"What's so hard to understand about me not wanting to be anything like you?!"_

_"No, I understand completely. You're weak-spirited and soft-hearted. So soft-hearted that you insist on locking up your hostages forever and yet still treating them like friends, as opposed to dealing with them the way I would or how The World Destroyer would. As I once told you, there's no place for kindness among the Demon-types. And you certainly can't keep those prisoners below the town forever, either. Because if you won't deal with them, either I or The World Destroyer will."_

_With that, Mew was off, leaving Meloetta to grimly mull over that last threat._

* * *

When Vand came to, the sigil on the slab lit up and the slab opened for him. His shock over what he saw in his vision was subsided when he was given the chance to enter the shrine.

"I'll wait out here," Magus said. "I've put an Alpha Guard around here to protect us from any trouble. I'll wait out here for you. Take your time."

"Okay. Thanks."

Vand then entered the Shrine. At the end of the hall was a circular chamber that Vand knew just by looking at it was the actual Shrine. On the ground was a dim Alpha Sigil. On either side of it was a statue of a human holding a sword with the Alpha Sigil on the handle and a statue of an Espeon holding a staff with the Alpha Sigil at the tip of it. Vand stood in the center of the Sigil, and he was spoken to by someone.

"Welcome, Vand," said a voice Vand recognized.

"Hydreigon, is that you?" he asked. His question was answered when an image of Hydreigon appeared before him.

"Yes," he answered. "I am the Voice of Life. Although you know this already."

"Are you part of the Alpha Bloodline, then?"

"No, I am not. However, I can tell you all about it. And so can she."

At that, another spirit appeared beside Hydreigon. She looked like an elderly human and she had eight feathered wings. The Alpha Sigil was emblazoned on her garb.

"My name is Votum, and I am the spirit of Hope and Faith. I am the basis on which the Alpha Bloodline was created. You are a part of the Alpha Bloodline's current generation."

"I see. Was I chosen to be one?"

"In a sense, you were. Or rather, your ancestors were. Your furthest ancestor, Miju, participated in the war between the Alpha-types and the Demon-types. You are carrying on her legacy, as well as that of the Alpha Bloodline."

"But how do I go about doing that?"

"Begin by stating, 'Alpha Return.' It will call your designated Alpha Amulet to you, just like it did with Torden."

"Wait a second; Torden was here?"

"Indeed he was. He visited here a year ago."

"Oh, I hope he's safe. I should be able to find him with the help of Alpha powers, I hope. Alpha Return!"

Just as Votum said, Vand gained his very own Alpha Amulet.

"If you ever lose it, just repeat the words, 'Alpha Return.'"

"Okay, I'll remember that. Now, can you tell me what the Alpha Bloodline is?"

"Indeed. The Alpha Bloodline is an order dedicated to protecting the world from Demon-types and the Dark Blessing. The Dark Blessing is The World Destroyer's method of infecting the world with her spirit. It sneaks into any living thing and makes them her servant. The Alpha Bloodline was founded in order to protect Pokémon from The World Destroyer's treachery, and to rescue those who have already fallen victim to her spirit. Arceus himself decides how the Alpha powers are used. He'll revoke the power if a member tries to misuse it, and he makes it so it won't hurt anything but Demon-types. Power on its own is completely ambiguous; it has no morality. It's up to the Pokémon using it to decide how to use it. But in the case of the Alpha Bloodline, Arceus doesn't tolerate his power being misused. The same is true of The World Destroyer, though she has a different definition of 'misuse.'"

"Arceus won't have to worry about me. I wouldn't dare disgrace his gift."

"That's very reassuring. Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Yes, actually. What is the Alpha Sanctuary?"

"I'll field this one, if you don't mind, Votum," Hydreigon said. "I mean, I'll let you explain if you want to, of course."

"You should field this question," Votum said. "It's only fair, considering what transpired."

"I see."

"What happened now?" Vand asked.

"Vand, I'm sorry, but Pokémon Paradise is no more," Hydreigon said sadly. "The World Destroyer broke in and thoroughly annihilated it. I saved as many Pokémon as I could, but not everyone made it. Emolga, Dunsparce, Swanna, Gurdurr, Timburr, Timburr, and the Dojo Masters got away safely. And since Virizion, Keldeo, Torden, Scraggy, and Quagsire left already, so did they. But everyone else has unfortunately died. Vand, I cannot apologize enough. I know you and Torden and everybody worked hard on it, but…" Hydreigon's voice started breaking. "…I don't know how you can forgive me, Vand. I couldn't save Paradise."

"Hydreigon, you tried your best. I appreciate that you were able to save as many as you could. As for those who died, at least you tried to save them, too. And they lived good lives, and now at least they don't need to suffer anymore. Though I'm sad to hear that I've lost more friends, I can at least be happy that where they are now is a much better place."

Hydreigon fought back a tear. "You're so strong-spirited for someone as young as you. But the thing is also this: now the Alpha Sanctuary is the only safe place left in the world, the only place The World Destroyer can't enter. It's where Arceus is waiting to be released from his seal. It's also where he oversees the world currently."

"I see. That's where Pelame needs to go. And I'm trying to help guide her there, but we got separated."

"Whatever you do now is up to you, Vand. Your journey may be separate from anyone else's for quite a while, so you may have some time to help out in any way possible. For one thing, you are able to Purify The World Destroyer's Vessels."

"Wait… you mean, I can save Meloetta?!"

"If she is a Vessel, then yes you can."

"Then that's what I'll do first!"

"But listen first! Your spirit has to be strong enough to drive out The World Destroyer's spirit fragment from her. If not, then not only will she be completely annihilated, so will you."

"I don't have any other choice but to take that chance. Besides, she's still my friend. I want her to be happy."

"In that case, I think you'll manage. But it won't be easy to get the chance to Purify her. She'll be forced to fight back. But in any case, I believe you'll be able to do it."

"I'll be off, then. Thank you, both of you. And I promise to make the Alpha Bloodline proud!"

"The best of luck to you, then!" said both Hydreigon and Votum.

* * *

Meloetta had been contemplating for a while since Mew left her with those ominous words.

_"If you won't deal with them, either I or The World Destroyer will."_

She couldn't get that thought out of her mind. It was driving her crazy. However, she was beginning to think that maybe she couldn't keep those captured Pokémon safe and alive for long, especially since Mew knew where the entrance to that jail below the village was. And if anyone was going to rat it out to The World Destroyer, it would be Mew. That settled it.

"I will never forgive myself for this," Meloetta said to herself. "But those Pokémon I have imprisoned… I will have to execute them tonight." Meloetta shed a tear over her grim decision. "Better they die quickly and painlessly by my hand than painfully by Mew's. Or, even worse, The World Destroyer's."

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Alpha Shrine – The Room Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III DS OST)


	5. Chapter 5 - The Melody Vessel

Chapter 5 – The Melody Vessel

* * *

**"Attention, all of my vessels. This is an important announcement for all of you."**

Every single one of The World Destroyer's vessels' minds were being spoken to by the fiend herself.

**"As you can see, the Alpha Beacon has appeared over the Alpha Sanctuary. You all must know what that means. But I don't believe in your knowledge retention, so I expect you've already forgotten. So, to remind you, our worst enemy has returned to the world. She slipped away from me like the coward she is and took a friend with her. She is called Pelame, and she is an Eevee with a notch cut out of her left ear. Do not underestimate her. I might likely be the only match for her, not because she's strong, but because all of you are weak and are causing me to wonder why I bothered passing pieces of my spirit onto each of you. But despite that, I have no choice but to impose a 'first come, first serve' bounty on Pelame. In truth, I would like to be the one to kill her, but I would only be allowing her the faintest chance of victory if I were to reserve the privilege of her death to myself. Therefore, against my desires, I pass this order on to all of you: if any of you come across Pelame, you are to show her no mercy, and you are not to stop attacking her until she dies. Do the same to anyone who attempts to protect her. I can no longer afford to care how it's done, just as long as Pelame meets with her end. And if she should escape from any of you or if she manages to Purify any of you, then pray that you never cross paths with me again. The punishment will be you suffering what I plan to do to Pelame if I should be the one to finish her. Now, off you all go."**

Mew then appeared to The World Destroyer after the announcement was finished.

"Oh, I do hope to be the one to kill her for you," she said. "But, just so you know, I'm not weak. But I did just speak to one of our own who really is a weakling."

**"Indeed,"** The World Destroyer said. **"Meloetta's heart is too soft for her own good. She won't last."**

"Likely not. Of course, I think she's finally going to take care of the Pokémon she's imprisoned in that village. I scared her into the idea."

**"Then, for your sake, she shall hopefully take the bait."**

* * *

With an Alpha Amulet in hand, Vand left the Shrine. He found Magus wasn't there when he reemerged. Looking around, he saw signs of a fight. He saw burn marks left on the slab and on the trees, not to mention a tree had been toppled. He feared for a moment that something bad may have happened to Magus, but he soon remembered not to immediately assume the worst. That was what The World Destroyer wanted him to do, after all. Plus, there was no time to waste. He had to go Purify Meloetta as soon as he possibly could. He had only just figured out that she was a Vessel, and that it would basically take his entire spirit in order to save her from The World Destroyer. Admittedly, he was just a bit intimidated about what would happen if his Purification attempt would fail, but this was a time he couldn't afford to be afraid. Fear would only make failure certain, and this was a mission too important to fail.

"Just wait, Chief Meloetta," Vand said. "I'm on my way."

* * *

It had only been one day since Blessing had her mouth taken away and then had been stashed under the Village of Silence. Having no mouth certainly didn't stop her from making futile attempts to speak, and it annoyed the other captive Pokémon to no end, especially when she would try to poke her head through the barred window on the door and call for help. Finally, the Meowth had been annoyed enough, and he did something about it. While Blessing was panicking once again, he went up to her and slapped her across the face. Blessing was so shocked that she immediately stopped trying to speak. She just stared at Meowth for a moment in surprise. Then she suddenly lunged at him and started attacking him. Grovyle had to pry her off of him. Pretty soon, everything was calm again. Blessing approached the young Meowth and scratched "I'M SORRY" into the dirt in front of him. Meowth responded by scratching "IT'S OKAY, I KNOW YOU'RE SCARED" into the dirt. He also added, "AND I'M SORRY FOR HITTING YOU." If Blessing could smile, she would have.

* * *

In the village square, Meloetta was setting something up. Axew couldn't help but ask once he saw the project.

"Chief, what is that you're making?"

Meloetta's sadness only grew once she heard her closest village friend make such an innocent inquiry.

"I'm sorry," Meloetta said. "But I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"I see. Are you feeling okay? You seem sad."

"I'm fine."

"It doesn't look like you are. You can talk to me about it."

"No, I can't! I just can't, okay?!"

"Chief, what's going on—"

"I can't tell you what's going on! Just leave me alone!"

"Chief…"

"In fact, you should leave this village! It's for your own good!"

"What?! But why?"

"Something evil is going to destroy this village! There, I said it!" Meloetta couldn't bring herself to tell Axew what she was actually doing.

"Well, then I'll stay and help you protect everyone! I wouldn't dare leave you to deal with this alone!"

"No, Axew, you mustn't! This creature is too strong! I may not even walk away alive! I don't want it to kill you, too!"

"So what? I'm not leaving your side!"

Meloetta was at her wit's end as to how to get her friend to leave. She then decided to pull the card she hoped never to pull.

"Axew, you follow your chief's orders, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"I see. Axew, I really, _really_ didn't want to do this, but there's no other way." Meloetta then finally said the two words she dreaded having to use in the time she had been the Chief. "You're banished."

Axew's thick skin couldn't keep out the metaphorical knife going into his heart.

"That's an order, Axew. And speed it to everyone living in the village and take them with you. They're also banished."

Axew then found the words to say. "Very well. I hope you know what you're doing." Meloetta jumped down to him and gave him a hug. "Good luck," Axew said as the two broke off their hugging. All Meloetta could do was wave goodbye to him as she watched him gather together all the village's citizens and leave with them. When the coast was clear, Meloetta got to finishing building her project. It turned out to be a gallows for execution. There were five nooses hanging from it, one for each of the captive Pokémon, and all adjusted for their sizes. She had also constructed lever-operated trapdoors for each noose, also adjusted for size. Everything was ready for the impending execution. There was now only one thing left to do.

* * *

On his way back to the Village of Silence, Vand noticed a large gathering of Pokémon coming from the village's direction. He recognized the tusked one at the front.

"Axew!" he called. "Where are you and all these Pokémon going?"

"Oh, hello Vand!" Axew called to him. The two approached each other.

"Hello to you too, Axew! What's happening here?"

"The Chief banished us all out of the village. She wouldn't anything about her decision other than that an evil creature was threatening to destroy the village and everyone in it. I just hope she can handle it."

"But, that isn't the truth! I know the true reason! There's no evil creature trying to destroy the village! Meloetta's been possessed by The World Destroyer, and she must be afraid of hurting everyone here with it!"

"Pardon me?! Then why didn't she tell us that?!"

"I don't know, but I'm going to the village to save her. I have the power to make her become her normal, kind self again. See?" Vand showed his Alpha Amulet to Axew.

"So you have," Axew said, impressed. "Then, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks. And you stay safe out here. Same to everyone else here. See you later!" Vand was off again toward the village.

* * *

Now that Blessing had calmed herself down and stopped trying to speak without a mouth, she was now trying to figure out how to keep herself occupied. One of her many pet peeves was boredom, and she was feeling very, very bored. The other Pokémon were all asleep, so she also was trying not to wake them. But they awakened anyway to the sound of the door opening. Meloetta, with her staff in hand, arrived to guide them out. She snared them by their necks with Evil Threads, but she didn't make a tight enough hold to strangle them, being as she wasn't trying to. She had brought a pair of very heavy bricks with her and tied them to Meowth's feet. She then led the five back up above and onto the stage. The five prisoners were very shocked to see a gallows had been placed on the stage. Five nooses and five trapdoors told them all they needed to know; they were going to be executed by hanging. Yet, despite this, Meloetta looked very sad as she put the nooses around their necks while undoing the Evil Threads.

_"I don't want to do this,"_ she thought to herself, putting her hand on the lever. _"But this is to ensure that their deaths won't be a painful one at The World Destroyer's hands."_

Meloetta was practically paralyzed by guilt at what she felt she had to do, especially in Meowth's case. He was only a child, after all, hence why she tied bricks to him so that he'd be weighed down enough to die as quickly as the other four. And even more guilt washed onto her as she looked to Virizion and Keldeo, who she was friends with before she ever even saw the Village of Silence. And the newest visitor, Blessing. This was all too much for her to bear. Her eyes were full of tears and her heart was full of anger at herself. She shut her eyes, being unable to look at her prisoners about to be hanged. She squeezed the lever and muttered through her tears, "Go in peace."

She then finally pulled the lever, and the five prisoners fell through the trapdoors. All five of them landed straight onto the ground below. Somehow, the nooses had been severed, sparing the five prisoners. Meloetta opened her eyes as soon as she heard the thuds on the ground. She also found Vand standing in front of her, scalchop in hand.

"Vand!" Meloetta cried. "What are you doing here?!"

"Saving you from a monster, Meloetta," Vand answered. "I know you can hear me, World Destroyer. Leave Meloetta's spirit, or I'll make you!"

Suddenly, Meloetta took on a different tone. "Well, why don't we see you try it, then? I'd love for you to make us both disappear!"

_"This isn't Meloetta,"_ Vand thought to himself. _"The World Destroyer is in control of her. I need to Purify her now!"_

"Very well, then. Alpha Purify!"

Vand charged forward with his glowing Alpha Amulet in hand, ready to Purify the village's chief. She didn't just stand there, however, and the glow of Vand's Amulet faded away as he assumed a battling pose.

"I will be delaying the executions of those five over there," Meloetta said, gesturing toward the five prisoners as she at that same moment sealed them all in a dark force field. "I will be executing them after I'm finished with you." Meloetta took hold of her staff in both her hands. The flag giving the tip its eighth-note shape straightened itself and then curved just enough to become a scythe blade. It then situated itself perpendicular to the handle, effectively turning itself from a staff into a scythe. "Guillotine!"

Vand was knocked off the stage and slammed into the Lum Tree by the force of the attack shaking loose some of the Lum Berries. However, it was thanks to his Alpha Guard that that even happened, as opposed to the fact that his death was what should have happened. He evaded just in time as Meloetta planted her scythe right into the tree, having missed her target. It was stuck rather tightly, and Meloetta was having trouble pulling it out. Vand took this chance to move in for the finish. But before he could reach her to try to Purify her, she let loose with a Lethargy curse. Before the multiple status ailments could kick in, Vand picked up a Lum Berry and ate it, erasing the curse's effects.

_"I knew this was going to be difficult,"_ Vand thought. _"But I'm not giving up."_

By this time, Meloetta had freed her scythe from the Lum Tree. "Heart Stopper!" she cried, unleashing an electric energy wave with a swing of her scythe. Vand avoided it, but it came right back for him. It still didn't hit him, though he was having it tough avoiding it, especially since Meloetta took that chance to change into her Pirouette Forme and randomly toss around a bunch of Demon Orbs everywhere while spinning, effectively making himself a sprinkler mercilessly shooting out attacks. Vand couldn't dodge all of them, and his recoiling in pain from getting hit by about six of them gave Meloetta another chance. Still spinning, he came swinging his scythe at Vand, now having become a tornado of blades. Vand brought up an Alpha Guard to block the onslaught, but soon, it became too much for him to handle, and his shield fell. Meloetta then suddenly stopped attacking and then turned back into Aria Forme. She took a step back from Vand. The Heart Stopper from before came back and hit Vand directly, paralyzing him on the spot.

"Well, well," Meloetta taunted. "I guess this was to be expected from a newcomer to the Alpha Bloodline. Looks like you were all talk after all." She raised her scythe and got ready to attack.

From the sidelines, the silenced Pokémon could do nothing but watch in horror. Blessing tried shouting as usual, but only muffled grunting came out. It sounded as if she was trying to talk Meloetta out of killing Vand by pointing out that he was only a kid.

"So long, newbie," Meloetta shouted. "I'll let Pelame know you let her down!"

Meloetta then swung her scythe at Vand, aiming for his neck. Being paralyzed left Vand completely at her mercy and unable to avoid the attack. Meloetta's scythe connected with his neck.

And then the entire weapon shattered in her hands.

Suddenly, the five captive Pokémon found themselves able to speak again courtesy of the threads sewing their mouths shut disappearing and their voices returning, and Blessing received her mouth again. Better still, the force field confining them had also disappeared. They all wondered what in the world had just happened, but experience with the Alpha Bloodline tipped Blessing off about exactly how Vand avoided dying.

"He was still able to defend himself," she explained despite not being asked to. "He brought up an Alpha Guard at the exact moment Meloetta's scythe touched his neck. I guess the momentum of the two caused the scythe to break."

"But then, how does that explain the effects of her magic disappearing?" Virizion asked.

"Her staff scythe had a Silence Orb in it," Grovyle explained. "I recognized its effects when she used it on me. The World Destroyer had done a similar trick on me once by using Demon power to modify the Orb's effects."

"Vand, here!" Keldeo shouted, tossing Vand a Lum Berry. It landed in his mouth, and he ate it instantly, curing his paralysis. Meloetta was too stunned to react to any of this, and to what came after.

"Razor Shell!"

Vand came swinging at Meloetta, landing many direct hits on her. Once she was down, it was time to do the honors. With his Amulet glowing, Vand touched it to Meloetta's head and began the Purification.

Being new to this, he wasn't prepared for how much it hurt his spirit. The lack of experience also let the Demon spirit into his own, and it started to overtake him and destroy him. It was too much for him to do after all. Despite this, he persevered. He just wanted to save his friend. He had embarked on this journey in order to find his friends, but now he had received a new mission. And once he saw that a dear friend of his had been made a Vessel by The World Destroyer, he had decided to act. Well, he wasn't going to lose. He wouldn't accept losing to The World Destroyer. He refused to let anyone down by failing. These noble desires and thoughts caused his own spirit to shine forth and drive the Demon spirit out of himself. The light then crept into Meloetta's spirit and started driving the Demon spirit out of her.

"Meloetta," Vand said. "Please play me a song. I love your music."

At last, the light enveloped her spirit completely, and when it faded, the Demon spirit was gone. Meloetta was a Vessel no more. Vand's first Vessel Purification had succeeded, after a rough start.

"Hey, kid!" Blessing said. "Great going! You're awesome!"

"That was excellent, Vand," Virizion added. "But where did you learn those abilities? I've never seen anything like them."

"And you won't anymore!"

Mew appeared before everyone.

"Oh, Meloetta," she crooned. "You always were the weakest link among us Demon-types. But to be Purified by a newbie?! He only succeeded because your spirit is just as weak, if not weaker, than his! So, I'll now make good on my threat."

"You'll do no such thing!" Meloetta shouted.

"Oh ho! Suddenly some bravado!"

"Leave her alone!" Vand said.

"Sorry kid, but your Purifying days are over!"

Meloetta launched a Shadow Ball at Mew. "Vand, get everyone out of here!" she said. "I'll hold Mew off!"

"Are you sure about this?!"

"Of course! Now go!"

"Okay then." Vand held up his Amulet and went to the other Pokémon. "We're going to end up split up, so, good luck to you all. Alpha Warp!"

* * *

"Vand, an Alpha Bloodline member?!" Pelame cried.

"Indeed," Votum said. "He has just Purified the Melody Vessel, Meloetta."

Pelame couldn't help but be proud of her new friend.

* * *

**A/N: I have been wanting to write that battle scene for quite a while, and now it's finally done. I now might as well address the Wailord in the room: Meloetta's Pirouette Forme gender change. Personally, I have no problem with it, and I only incorporated it into this story in the name of sticking to Gates to Infinity canon. But I do acknowledge that some have a problem with that, so my apologies if I touched any nerves by including it.**

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Preparing for Execution – Heresy (Final Fantasy VIII OST)

Vand vs the Melody Vessel – Premonition (Final Fantasy VIII OST)


	6. Chapter 6 - Votum

Chapter 6 – Votum

* * *

"It is indeed where you must go," Shadow explained. "The Alpha Sanctuary is the only truly safe place left in the world. By all rights, everyone in the world should go there."

"Then, what if we get ambushed in our sleep?" Pelame asked, worried. "Or, for that matter, any of our friends? Attacking while the enemy is asleep is something I definitely expect from Demon-types."

"I doubt they're better than me at that. I'm the master of attacking enemies in their sleep." He brandished a pair of Water Shurikens to emphasize his point.

"…I see," Pelame deadpanned.

"Yep. If you were an enemy, I'd stick these into you tonight."

Pelame wasn't impressed. "I fail to be intimidated."

"Well, _you_ don't need to be. After all, we are on the same side. Right?"

"Yes."

"Well, on that note, we should get some sleep. If you put up an Alpha Guard around this spot, we'll at least be safe for the night."

"Got it." Pelame went to the entrance of the small cave they found and put up an Alpha Guard to close it up. She then coated the walls, floor, and ceiling with it.

"Mat Block!" Shadow said, reinforcing the Alpha Guard with his own protective signature move. As soon as he finished up, he got to sleep quickly.

"So much for the master of middle-of-the-night sneak attacks," Pelame quipped. "Sheesh, why am I talking like Blessing?" Pelame then went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Pelame was awake at what she could only assume was the crack of dawn. The darkness coating the planet made it hard to tell what time of day it really was. To Shadow, it was still night, as he was still asleep.

_"Oh, Blessing would jump at this chance,"_ Pelame thought to herself. _"I'll take the friendlier approach."_

"Good morning, Shadow," she said happily to Shadow. Shadow didn't respond. His sleep was too deep. She took this chance to get her food rations out. Shadow didn't appear to have supplies of any kind on him, so she got out some extra portions of food for him. If he would ever wake up, she'd share breakfast with him. However, he suddenly awakened to the sound of a powerful attack coming from outside.

"Alpha Guard!" Pelame shouted, protecting Shadow and herself from the ambush.

"Looks like you lost your 'sneak attack pro' title!" Mew said, entering the cave. "Did I interrupt your breakfast?"

"What's your problem, Mew?!" Pelame demanded. "What's the thrill of being a Vessel of The World Destroyer?!"

"Heh, such a hostile attitude to a stranger," Mew taunted. "You're Pelame, huh? Strange. The World Destroyer described you as being nice, but it turns out you're just a dumb little bitch. On that note, Heart Stopper!"

Pelame dodged the electric blast, but Shadow didn't. He was knocked out instantly.

"To answer your question, it lets me do stuff like that!" Mew declared triumphantly. "Being Demon-type is the only way to live in the world. Being any other type, _especially_ Alpha-type, is suicide!"

"I get it, then," Pelame said. "You're just power-hungry, and you wanted to become a Demon-type so you could be even more powerful. The World Destroyer has an easy time with Pokémon as desperate as you. Is it really worth the repercussions?"

"Of course. Before, I could do some amazing things. But now, I can do this. Mortalactite!"

A sharp dark crystal extended from the ceiling above Shadow and fell down.

"Alpha Rope!" Pelame shouted, creating an energy cord from her Alpha Amulet. She used it to quickly pull Shadow away from where the sharp crystal was about to land. Normally, she would have teleported herself and Shadow away by now, but she couldn't risk him being attacked by another danger while he was unconscious.

"It's great being The World Destroyer's right-hand soldier!" Mew said. "It means I'll be the one to take you down!"

Pelame had no choice but to fight back. "Bring it on, then!" she retorted.

"Hah! Excellent! Ultimate Vessel versus Arceus wannabe! You're going to lose!"

Pelame had no intention of finishing this fight. All she intended to do was to hold Mew off for long enough to allow Shadow to wake up. Fortunately, he started to stir, and just in time to avoid a Mortalactite attack thrown in his direction. Pelame nodded to Shadow. He knew exactly what she was going to do, so he tossed her Exploration Team Toolbox to her, and then she took her chance.

"Alpha Warp!"

* * *

As expected, Shadow wasn't with her when she reappeared. The Alpha Beacon had moved to being east of her location, when it was west before. The place she ended up was very familiar to her.

"Could this be…?"

The sight of an old temple jogged Pelame's memory. She didn't have to have a Dimensional Scream vision to remember the adventure she once had here. Pugno was with her for this one. And so, too, was Grovyle. Off to the right of the temple was a location that had another memory for her. And a memory to someone else, too.

"This was where I first experienced how powerful you were. Both you and your partners cooperated to defeat me in battle."

Yes, this place had a memory for Dusknoir, too.

"I still admire the ingenuity of turning my ultimate attack against me," Dusknoir admitted. "That was the day where everything changed."

"One of those kinds of days," Pelame added. "It was such a different time back then. We didn't have The World Destroyer making a mess out of everything she possibly could."

"Yes. You and your friends had it easy against me, Primal Dialga, and even Darkrai. Though, ironically, The World Destroyer had something to do with all of those encounters."

"I know. I'm still puzzled about that, and a bit angry."

"So am I. It's no pleasure discovering that you've been someone's tool for your entire life."

Pelame and Dusknoir looked over the murals within the ruins. More memories were jogged upon the sight of them.

"The Temporal Vessel, Primal Dialga," Dusknoir said, looking at the rune of his old master. "Honestly, I'd prefer a paralyzed planet over a slowly crumbling planet. Of course, a peaceful planet is the most preferred option."

"I agree," Pelame said. "At least Primal Dialga didn't want to die. That's not a forgivable motive, but it somehow made for a more peaceful world than this. You operated under that motive, too, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. More than anything, I feared disappearing from history. I've feared that fate since I was born. I don't remember how or why I came to fear such a thing, but it was potent enough to drive me to do anything to live. And…well, I believe you're familiar with how that went."

"I had hated you so much for that. Attempting to have us executed, trying to help condemn the planet to paralysis, trying to do away with us yourself, and trying to make Grovyle your own vessel—by the way, sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable bringing all of that up."

"There's no need for you to be apologetic. Your harsh feelings toward me were justified."

"Actually, no they weren't. Because it wasn't you who I should have been angry at, and it never was. No one should have been angry at you for anything. Everything was The World Destroyer's fault."

Pelame and Dusknoir stopped in their tracks when they saw an unfamiliar mural.

"In my days serving Primal Dialga, I've seen this hall, and all of the ruins enough to memorize it all. Honestly, I know this temple almost better than I knew my own name. But this mural…"

"Could it have been added here since we last saw it?"

"No, it was always here. But every time I looked at it, it was a blank slab. But now, it has something on it."

The rune showed a human-like figure with eight feathered wings. On her white robe was an Alpha Sigil. For some reason, she looked very familiar to Pelame.

"Votum."

Dusknoir was surprised to hear Pelame's utterance.

"This is Votum, the spirit of Hope and Faith."

"How do you know that?" Dusknoir asked, astounded. "Have you met?"

"No, I haven't met her," Pelame answered. "I don't even truly know who she is. All I know is her name, and her purpose. Actually, I feel as if I had always known. It's as if it was a distant memory buried in my mind, and seeing this dug it out and brought it forward." The memory was only one of two sensations she felt at that moment. "She's calling me. She wants to talk to me. She's waiting in the chamber behind this mural."

"Then, you must go to her. I'll remain here on guard."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me!" Pelame went to one of the exits of the hall and placed an Alpha Guard force field around it. She then did the same to the other exit. "If those fall, let me know."

"Pelame, don't worry yourself," Dusknoir said. "I'll be fine."

"Hopefully you will. I'll be back soon." The mural opened for Pelame and she went in without another word.

The Alpha Shrine was a refreshing familiar sight to Pelame. She stood in the center of the Alpha Sigil on the floor as she did with Pugno beside her eight years ago, and the shrine lit up in response.

"Greetings, Pelame."

An image of a green Espeon appeared before Pelame.

"My name is Grani," he said. "I am your furthest ancestor, the first Pokémon to become an Alpha-type. I have guided you outside of Pokémon Paradise at the request of Votum."

A spirit resembling the one inscribed on the mural appeared next to Grani.

"Pleased to meet you, Pelame," she said. "It is only natural that you know who I am. I am the basis on which the Alpha Bloodline was created. Their power is a combination of my power and the power of Arceus. It resides in all who are Alpha-type, including you. This current generation has that power running through them, and it has gained two new members: Torden and Vand."

Pelame was very shocked at that announcement. "Vand, an Alpha Bloodline member?!" he cried.

"Indeed," Votum said. "He has just Purified the Melody Vessel, Meloetta."

Pelame couldn't help but be proud of her new friend.

"You, him, and all Alpha-types currently operation have an important mission ahead of you," Votum continued. "As you might have gathered, The World Destroyer is employing the labor of Pokémon, some willing, some not willing. She has fallen back on her old practice of splitting her own spirit up and planting them within other Pokémon."

"I know," Pelame said. "I have a friend who suffered that fate. He's just outside the shrine."

"Dusknoir is indeed a victim of what I speak of. Or rather, he used to be. Fortunately, he is free of that, and is his own Pokémon again. But now there are other Vessels out there who don't know that freedom. One has even forsaken that freedom in the name of gaining more power. They must be freed from The World Destroyer."

"And they will be. I swear on my life that every last one of those Vessels will be Purified. And no more friends will be lost to her, either."

"That is the mission of the Alpha Bloodline now. And it must not fail, because Vessels are how The World Destroyer cheats her own death. It was done back when the Alpha and Demon war ended, and it was done when The Hidden Land was detonated by Palkia. On both counts, she had Vessels sustaining her and keeping her from death."

"Then, if she no longer has any Vessels, then she'll stay dead if she is defeated once more."

"Indeed, though it's not that simple. The World Destroyer thrives on despair and doubt. Those must be removed from the world, too. Your friend's Purification of The Melody Vessel has brought that mission one step closer to success. It will take the efforts of you, the Alpha-types, and every one of your friends to realize this mission."

"I'm up for it. You can count on me. You can count on all of us, Votum."

* * *

Though Dusknoir had known these ruins top to bottom, he hadn't personally met many of the inscribed figures. Only Dialga and Palkia were familiar to him on a personal level.

**"Feeling nostalgic, I see."**

Everything turned too dark to see in as The World Destroyer trespassed into the ruins, having destroyed the Alpha Guard protecting the hall.

**"How are you feeling, my old tool? It looks like Pelame left you at my mercy. And here I thought the two of you were on friendly terms."**

"You would never understand such things," Dusknoir said. "You cannot understand what drives us to oppose you."

**"Indeed not. But there's nothing about that that needs understanding. Once a tool to me, now a tool to Arceus. Dusknoir, you live only to serve. Do you truly think that's living?"**

"If it means removing you from the world in the name of peace, then yes. Any life having nothing to do with you is truly living!"

**"Then, I will show you the fate of those who think that way. To love life is to welcome the fate I give."**

A powerful blast of Demon-type fire came from the darkest part of the giant aura. As it engulfed everything in the hall, Dusknoir could do nothing to avoid it, though he was far from defeat.

"You should never have made me one of your Vessels," Dusknoir said with a hint of triumph in his voice. "I can withstand more Demon-type power than most normally can because of you!" Dusknoir then fired a Dark Pulse at The World Destroyer. It unfortunately had no effect. The next attack that hit her did, though.

"I was hoping not to run into you again," Pelame said, having delivered her attack. "But things aren't going to go as well for you as you think they will."

**"I see you think you're going to succeed in your task, then. Your talk in that Alpha Shrine certainly helped your confidence, but that serves to make things much easier for me in the long run!"**

Pelame deflected a dark beam back at The World Destroyer, which only served to remotely damage her. Taking a chance, she then blinded her with an Alpha Flash. She and Dusknoir then fled from the ruins. They didn't get far when they were attacked once again.

**"How much do you truly respect other living beings, Pelame?"**

Pelame didn't bother answering a question that was rhetorical considering who was asking it.

**"Apparently not enough to let Dusknoir handle himself. You don't trust him. But you shouldn't. He is only a tool, after all."**

"Don't call him that!" Pelame cried. "He's my friend! He's no tool to anyone!"

**"Of course he is. He was mine, once. But now, he's Arceus's. All his life, he's been nothing but a tool to be used."**

The World Destroyer used her power to project an image to Pelame and Dusknoir's minds.

* * *

_An egg was shaking, ready to hatch. Nothing was near the egg. No Pokémon, no rocks or plants frozen in time, no plants, no anything. The egg was all alone. When it hatched, a lone Duskull crawled out of it. The baby wandered around, finding nothing in his attempt at traveling. Being lonely was his first time experiencing fear, quite an unpleasant thing to feel, especially being only seconds old._

**_"Welcome, hatchling."_**

_The words were spoken to the baby's mind directly. No sound was heard; the words went straight to his mind._

**_"Do you want someone to keep you company?"_**

_The baby didn't understand the question. It was also too young to answer._

**_"You're too young to understand how the world works, but I can divulge to you how to live in it. First of all, anything must be done in order to keep yourself alive. Other creatures out there will attempt to take your life. The world has run out of compassion for other life forms, as they have realized that it gets them nowhere. Kindness only leads to death. Any good virtue at all leads to one's own undoing. Begin by forsaking all notions of compassion, kindness, and the desire to do good."_**

_The baby Duskull was still very confused by all of this information. His curiosity was piqued when a Gastly and a Treecko approached him._

**_"Defend yourself from those two. For no reason at all, they want you to die. They don't care that you're an infant. But, as you currently are, you cannot harm them. You will require my assistance."_**

_Duskull couldn't answer, having not developed speech skills yet. The Gastly and Treecko weren't about to let him begin to. They began their attacks, pelting him with Bullet Seeds and Night Shades. Duskull was very frightened, and began to cry. This did nothing to stop the marauders, as their attacks continued on to the point where he collapsed to the ground._

**_"You see now? They are ruthlessly dedicated to survival, and they are going to kill you. Death is a very painful experience. While you were in that egg, you had experienced times of rest. Death is much the same as that, only you will never wake up, and it will hurt you immensely when it happens. But you can prolong your life and prevent your death. But you cannot do that alone."_**

_At that moment, Duskull felt a surge of power enter him. He was suddenly able to blast away the marauding Gastly and Treecko with a dark fire. The blast was uncontrolled, however, and the two attackers were killed by the fiery blast._

**_"That is what you must do to live. Everyone living in the world will want to do that to you. But there are some that will pledge loyalty to you, and you will likely pledge loyalty to one who can ensure your survival. But those who would dare to try to end your life, they shall themselves be ended. Do anything possibly to ensure your survival and to avoid your death."_**

_That was the first thing the Duskull completely understood._

* * *

**"It was no wonder Grovyle wanted to make you disappear from history. He wanted to make you go with him for killing his cousin when you were a baby."**

Pelame had never before experienced such fury as she was feeling now. All of Dusknoir's fears that drove him to do such awful things had all been indoctrinated into him, a revelation that made both of them angry.

**"Blood was always on your hands, tool. It will always be there. And don't forget that the blood of the wretch standing next to you could have dirties your hands more, murderer."**

The World Destroyer then took note of the furious look Pelame was giving her.

**"Such a hateful expression you have there, Pelame. I remember you showed that same look to the tool all those years ago. Are you upset about learning that you had been driven to showing that look to an innocent victim? Or are you upset that you acted on your own murderous desires? Don't think you're above the desire to end a life. You wanted that to happen to Dusknoir, and now you want that to happen to me."**

"Everyone wants that to happen—"

Pelame cut Dusknoir off by lunging straight at The World Destroyer in a blind rage. She dodged the attack and snatched her with her right hand.

**"I told you so."**

Pelame bit The World Destroyer's hand, forcing her to drop her. She then launched a merciless barrage of Alpha Blasts at her.

"You leave me and my friends alone," she snarled in a voice that could kill if it were a weapon. "If you so much as sneeze in their direction, I am going to destroy you."

**"I think not. My Vessels are on the hunt for you and your friends."** The World Destroyer was staggering from Pelame's attack. **"You and your friends are going to lose your world. But that won't be anything new for you, losing valued ones. Remember Loyal? And Cresselia? And Pokémon Paradise's populace?"**

A twinge of fear struck Pelame at that last part.

**"The Voice of Life failed to keep Paradise safe from me. I certainly hope you didn't promise not to lose any more friends, because it got broken! See, if you had just stayed in Pokémon Paradise, it would still be standing. But no, you got the idea in your head that you could save the world. That is far from the truth, Pelame. You are more valuable dead than you are alive. Lots of Pokémon who are now dead would have lived if they had never known you!"**

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Pelame screamed at the top of her lungs. "ALPHA ATONE!"

The World Destroyer felt a flash of all the pain she had ever caused in her lifetime. Shockingly, though it was intense to an impossible extent, it inflicted no damage on her.

**"You keep making yourself more pathetic each time we meet. Thinking I regret anything I've done is foolish enough, but attempting to force me to is even more foolhardy! It's good to have a cold heart!"**

"You don't even _HAVE_ a heart, you monster!" Pelame wasn't sure how much more she could take. She had to bring an end to this encounter, even if it meant…

"Alpha Warp!"

Both she and Dusknoir were gone in a flash. The World Destroyer was not upset by this.

**"Keep on running, Pelame. All that you fail to understand will catch up to you, no matter how far you run."**

* * *

**A/N: This was likely one of the vilest things I've ever written.**

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Old Ruins – The Hidden Land (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky OST)

Alpha Shrine – The Room Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III DS OST)

Duskull the Vessel – Hidden Highland (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky OST)

Pelame's Fury – The Unforgiven (Final Fantasy VI OST, sschafi1's remix)


	7. Chapter 7 - Bashful Dragon

Chapter 7 – Bashful Dragon

* * *

**"That young Oshawott boy, one Vand by name, is more skilled than he was given credit for."**

The World Destroyer sent out a new call to her remaining Vessels.

**"Fortunately, the Vessel we lost was a weak one, and little Vand has no proper experience with the Alpha Bloodline. His knowledge of it is still basic. Though, I am not taking any chances with him. Treat him the same as any other enemy I've specified before. If you run by him in your searches, do away with him."**

At that moment, a large blue bird Pokémon with a blue streamer-like tail teleported in front of The World Destroyer using his own Demon-type powers.

**"What have you to report, Articuno?"**

"The results of the patrol I went on in the Talus Forest," Articuno said proudly. "An intruder was flying above it, and I dealt with him with my Ice Beam. He wouldn't have stood a chance against me even if I wasn't a Demon-type. Even better, I saw Grovyle and Keldeo lost in the forest."

**"Then why aren't you back in the forest disposing of them?"**

"That's just what I was on my way to do. I'm heading back now, and I'll make glaciers out of them both." True to his word, Articuno was off. Mew arrived after he had left.

**"Meloetta got away from you, I see."**

"For now," Mew seethed. "I'll never be bested by a weakling! She was just a coward, teleporting us both like she did!"

**"There's no use upsetting yourself over your failure to live up to your threats. I will be replacing Meloetta among my ranks."**

"I figured you would, but who will be replacing her?"

**"Someone stronger than her, rest assured. However, he is to be guided to the proper path. I don't foresee much trouble in accomplishing that. He lives in fear of someone. All that needs to be done is to make a persuasive tool out of that fear he holds."**

* * *

The darkness covering the planet prevented sunlight from reaching the surface, making for a cold climate. Within a forest of snow and ice, it was almost too much for a grass-type Pokémon like Grovyle to handle. He shivered as he traveled further inside with Keldeo nearby. Keldeo didn't have as much of a problem traveling in the cold, though it was certainly chilling him, too.

"If you need some heat, just climb onto my back," Keldeo said to Grovyle. "My mane will warm you up."

"Actually, what you two need is to cool down!"

The two chilled travelers barely managed to dodge an Ice Beam from above.

"I'll freeze you both solid! And The World Destroyer will be most pleased!"

"Keldeo, run for it!" Grovyle warned. "We're being attacked by a Demon-type!"

"Excuse me?" Keldeo responded. "What's a Demon-type? Did you make that up?"

"No, he didn't. But I can show you what it is, and how it will be your undoing!"

Articuno perched himself on the ground and spread his wings, getting ready to launch an attack.

"Focus Blast!" Keldeo shouted, launching an energy attack at Articuno. It had no effect on the blue bird.

"Fool," he taunted. "Not only do Fighting-type moves not affect me much normally, but my Demon-typing puts me above all others!"

"Get to the point!" Keldeo retorted. "And just what _is_ a Demon-type?!"

"Instead of telling you, I'll show you. Typhoon!"

"What the— there's no such move as—"

A very powerful wind from Articuno's flapping wings blew the two travelers several yards away and blew the snow off of the surrounding trees. He flew after where they were tumbling. The two fell into a hot spring located at the bottom of a pit. The length of the drop send the two to the bottom of the water, giving Articuno a chance to make a decisive finish.

"Too easy," Articuno quipped. "No challenge at all." Cold wind surrounded Articuno as he gathered energy for an attack. It was soon ready. "GLACIATE!"

A wave of cold energy was launched from Articuno's tail. It hit the hot spring and covered the surface with a five-foot thick ice sheet, trapping Grovyle and Keldeo underwater. Satisfied, Articuno flew off to search for more Pokémon to decimate.

Grovyle and Keldeo wasted no time trying to break the ice. The ice was very thick, causing it to repel their attacks. No matter how many Focus Blasts and Energy Balls hit it, the ice didn't budge. To make matters worse, Grovyle was running out of air. Even then, he wasn't giving up.

_"It's no good,"_ Keldeo thought. _"We can't get through the ice with our attacks. But we have to get out of here. Otherwise… Grovyle will…"_

Keldeo unleashed his Sacred Sword and started hacking away at the ice. Unfortunately, not even that worked. But he had an idea. Using his Aqua Jet, he propelled himself to the bottom of the spring. He then propelled himself back up, sword-first. A small crack appeared on the ice, but it still wasn't enough to allow an escape to be possible.

_"Impossible!"_ Keldeo thought to himself. _"Not only does Articuno somehow know Kyurem's signature move, but he's stronger than any Pokémon should be."_

Keldeo was distracted from his thoughts by a terrifying sight: Grovyle's assault on the ice was getting weaker, and his movements were slowing down.

_"He's drowning! We have to get out of here now!"_

Grovyle was out of air and desperately trying not to breathe in. Even covering his own nose and mouth was a futile effort, as water went in anyway. He lost his consciousness and began to sink to the floor of the spring. Keldeo abandoned his attack plan to go retrieve Grovyle's sinking body. Along the way, he bumped into a Dewgong who was swimming by.

_"Hey, where did that Dewgong come from?"_ Keldeo asked himself in his head. _"Dewgongs can't breathe underwater, either. That one has to be getting air from somewhere."_ He started looking around for where that Dewgong could have come from just as he placed Grovyle's limp and drowning body on his back. At last, he found a small opening. Without having to think about it, he used his Aqua Jet attack as propulsion toward the tunnel. He began to feel his lungs screaming for air. The tunnel went on for longer than he hoped it would. As much as he was running out of air, Grovyle's face was beginning to turn blue. Keldeo had to hurry. At last, he reached the end of the tunnel and ended up in an icy cave. He took a deep breath of air and set Grovyle down. He was still unconscious. Keldeo got right to work trying to resuscitate him. He tried compressing his chest first. One accidental stomp attack was enough to knock the water out of his lungs. He awakened in a fit of coughing and deeply breathing in.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Keldeo said in great relief. "I thought you were a goner!"

"So *gasp* did I," Grovyle said. "Thanks for saving me, Keldeo."

"Anytime, pal. Anytime. Say, could you explain something to me?"

"Certainly. What is it you need to know?"

"First off, what's a Demon-type? Is that even a real thing?"

"It's a bit of a long story."

Keldeo took a seat, knowing he was in for quite a bit of exposition.

"Demon-type isn't even an actual Pokémon type," Grovyle said. "It's a special label given to anyone who serves The World Destroyer. They gain a share of her power."

"Then, is The World Destroyer a Pokémon?"

"No, she isn't. At first, I, and many other Pokémon, mistook her for a human. But when she reclaimed a lot of her former power, she turned into what she really is. She's a spirit."

"A spirit? You mean like Hydreigon, the Voice of Life?"

"I guess you could say that. Except, The World Destroyer doesn't take the form of a Pokémon. I can't even tell you what form she's taking now, since I've never seen it. Whenever she's nearby, it turns too pitch-black to see her true form. It certainly does reflect her heart, though."

"So, what Pokémon would want to work for her?"

"Except for Mew, no one. The World Destroyer hand-picks Pokémon to serve her. She forces them to obey her by implanting them with a piece of her own spirit; that is, her metaphysical existence. She calls it a 'Dark Blessing.'"

"Well, that's one of the most ironic things ever. By the way, sorry for constantly interrupting you."

"Oh, it's fine. I'm still struggling to understand it myself."

"You know, I think that's what happened to Meloetta. Remember when she tried to kill Vand, and almost did? She would _never_ have normally done that!"

"That's exactly what happened to her. She was given a Dark Blessing, and up until that moment, she was resisting its effects on her. She did better than I did in that regard."

"Wait, you were made a vessel once?!"

"Yes, I was. And it was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. It hurt my spirit for every moment The World Destroyer's tried to replace it. It used my body to hurt my friends and do serious damage to the world. Even worse, I, as myself, was aware of all of it, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. The World Destroyer wanted it to be that way."

"Well, she sounds like quite a piece of work!"

"Oh, she's worse than that. She doesn't just leave all the work to her Vessels. She undertakes some jobs herself. Remember Blessing, the Sneasel that was imprisoned with us back in the Village of Silence?"

"The one whose skin and fur were pitch-black, right?"

"Yes. She had an older sister once, but The World Destroyer did away with her. She used one of her Demon-type abilities on me to control my body and make me do the job. Afterwards, she used Blessing's grief to persuade her into accepting a Dark Blessing. Fortunately, Blessing soon saw through her lies and turned her Dark Blessing into something beneficial. She's currently one of our most powerful friends."

"So, she took a curse and turned it into an actual blessing. Is that why she calls herself that?"

"That is exactly the reason."

"That's good to hear." Feeling suddenly thirsty, Grovyle and Keldeo went back to the water to take a drink. They climbed back into the water to warm themselves up. Then, Keldeo resumed the conversation. "Is there any way to fight Demon-types?"

"Well, fortunately, there is. As Demon-types are super-effective against all other types and are not real Pokémon types, there exists another non-Pokémon type. It's called Alpha-type, and it was made by Arceus to combat the Demon-type and protect the world from it. Apparently, that boy Vand is a member of the Alpha Bloodline, just like my friend Pelame."

"So _that's_ how he was able to defeat Meloetta. Then was that finishing move of his what cured her of her Demon-typing?"

"Yes. That move is called Alpha Purify. It takes a strong spirit to Purify a Demon-type. If he were to have failed, both he and Meloetta would have died."

"Good thing his spirit was so strong, then. Also good to know that we're not doomed to lose to the Demon-types or to The World Destroyer."

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"No thanks. I think I've made you explain everything. Thanks for catching me up to speed."

"You're welcome." At last, the two could now focus on their current problem. "So, how do we get out of here?"

The only way out, as far as they could see, was where they came in. Being blocked by a five-foot thick sheet of ice meant that that way was out of the question. With no way to teleport out, and their only way out blocked, the two seemed to be completely trapped.

"I couldn't break the ice after you lost consciousness," Keldeo said sadly. "And that little pond was our only way out of here. Sorry, but I think we're stuck."

"Then we'll search for another exit," Grovyle said. "Let's not leave any stone unturned."

The two began to search the cave for a possible alternate exit. The cave was small, so there wasn't much ground to cover. Something on the ground caused Keldeo to trip and fall on his face. When he got back up, he saw the object he had tripped on looked like a long black dragon tail. Following it, he found a frozen black dragon attached to it. Its ears resembled speakers and it had a white mane on its neck and upper back. It had a Rawst Scarf tied around its mouth. It had a terrified look in its eyes.

"Hey, Grovyle!" Keldeo called. "Someone's frozen over here!" Grovyle wasted no time answering Keldeo's call. "I've never seen a Pokémon like this. Have you?"

"It looks unfamiliar to me, too," Grovyle answered. "Let's thaw it out. It could still be alive."

The two Pokémon cooperated to lift the frozen dragon up and put him into a nearby pool of hot water on the opposite end of the cavern. It was remarkably more shallow than the other pool, being only five feet deep. It was barely enough to submerge the dragon completely. This turned out to be a bad idea, since its head was the first part of it to thaw out and it couldn't reach the surface to get air. Luckily, Keldeo and Grovyle were quick to notice this. Grovyle dove in and lifted the frozen dragon onto his back to boost it above the water. Keldeo removed the Rawst Scarf from the dragon's mouth.

"Oh, wait!" it shouted in a moderately deep voice, confirming it to be male. "Please put that back on!"

"But why—"

The dragon filled his mouth with water and gargled out, "Just do it!" Keldeo did as told and pulled the scarf up back over the dragon's mouth. He then swallowed the water. "I'm very sorry for shouting at you. But I really must have this scarf over my mouth at all times. Otherwise, I would have burned you by accident."

"Do you know flamethrower?" Keldeo asked.

"Yes," said the dragon. "I've known it since I was a Noibat, and I was the only one who ever learned it that early. Normally, a Noibat can't learn that move until it evolves, but I kept at it. As you can see, I'm a Noivern now, but I still can't control my fire. I guess it's because I wasn't supposed to learn it early, but it's quite a problem. I burn everything I'm near when I have my mouth uncovered."

"Where did you find that scarf, anyway?"

"It was given to me by my parents. They're the ones who told me not to ever take this off, except for when I eat or have to defend myself from danger."

A stream of air bubbles was erupting from underneath the Noivern. By now, his upper body had thawed out.

"Say, didn't you enter here with a friend?" the Noivern asked. At that moment, Grovyle came back up for air. He ended up dropping Noivern back into the water, though he managed to pull himself back up since his arms were now free. Grovyle swam behind him and held him up by his arms. "Oh, hello there," Noivern turned back to say. "By the way, thanks for saving me. I thought I was going to be frozen forever. That Articuno was really mean."

"Excuse me, did you say Articuno?" Grovyle asked.

"He couldn't mean the same one?" Keldeo added.

"You two also got attacked by him?" Noivern asked, shocked.

"Yes," Grovyle answered. "Running from him is why we ended up in this cave. The way in got frozen shut, so we're searching for another way out."

"Oh, okay," Noivern said. "Then why not try under here?" He gestured below himself. "I think you can break through the floor into that cave below. Too bad I can't follow you. I can't swim. And by the way, Pokémon-behind-me, you can let go of me now. I'm completely unfrozen now."

Grovyle immediately let Noivern go.

"Oh, hey, we were never properly introduced," Noivern said. "You can call me Fugon. It's short for Lucifugon, my full name."

"Nice to meet you, Fugon," Keldeo said. "I'm Keldeo. And that's Grovyle."

"Pleased to meet you," Grovyle said. "We'll keep you safe as much as we are able."

"Oh, that'll be great," Fugon said. "I don't want to get frozen again. But I don't know how to swim. If the water is our only way out, then what will we do?"

"I'm sorry, Fugon," Keldeo said. "But we don't have a choice. But we'll keep you safe the whole way."

"Of course, lacking the ability to swim is likely not the only problem," Grovyle added. "We don't know how big the rest of the cave is."

"We could lose our air before we even get halfway through…" Fugon said, terrified.

"Unless…" at that moment, Grovyle got an idea. He carved out some ice chunks from the wall and sculpted them into helmets using his Leaf Blade attack. _"This is completely improvisational, like how Pugno used to think of things,"_ Grovyle thought to himself. "We can use these. Just trap air in them and they'll give us air for as long as the ice lasts against the hot water."

Fugon tightened his scarf in panic. Grovyle went into the water to try to break through the floor. A passing Dewgong saved him the trouble.

"Be careful!" the Dewgong shouted. "I could have accidentally drilled into you!"

"Phorry, miphter," Fugon said, slightly muffled by his scarf. "We're jupht trying to get ouph oph here."

"Well, just go out the way I just came in, then. I'm sure you three will make it out fine."

"Okay, thanks," Keldeo said. "Are we all ready to go?"

"I'm ready," Grovyle said.

"Aph much aph I'll epher ve," Fugon said.

"Fugon, why not loosen that?" Keldeo suggested. "Anyway, let's get going, then."

With one swift movement, Grovyle trapped an air bubble into each of the ice helmets. The three Pokémon then dove in and slipped them on. Fugon tightened his scarf even more, almost to the point of squeezing his head.

"He must be afraid he'll accidentally melt his helmet," Grovyle said quietly to Keldeo.

"That makes sense," Keldeo whispered back. "Fugon, just hold onto my tail," he said audibly. Fugon grasped Keldeo's tail as tightly as he could with his hands. "Hold on tight. You too, Grovyle." Grovyle also took hold. "Okay, everyone. Aqua Jet!"

Despite carrying two Pokémon, Keldeo moved just as quickly through the water as he normally would have. As the three wished it wouldn't have been so, there was no clear path to go. There was a much bigger area underwater than there was above. It seemed most of the cave was underwater, in fact. There was no turning back now.

"Vand would have no trouble in here," Keldeo said. "That boy takes to water like a Ducklett. He's an even better swimmer than me."

"My friend Pelame loves water," Grovyle added. "Even though she's not a water-type."

_"I don't like water,"_ Fugon thought to himself, having accidentally gagged himself. _"It's so dangerous."_

The three had no time to waste on admiring the icy crystals sustaining themselves in the water despite the temperature. Keldeo took notice of an opening and went into it. Unfortunately, it led to a dead end. He turned back immediately. The ice helmets were slowly getting thinner. The cavern they ended up in after backtracking didn't look familiar. Somehow, they ended up in a different cavern altogether.

"That tunnel must have had a split path," Grovyle said.

Keldeo decided not to turn back, having wasted enough time, something they were quickly running out of. "Fugon, are you doing okay?" he asked the newcomer.

Fugon nodded with a worried look in his eyes. Keldeo could tell he wanted out of the water as soon as possible.

"Don't worry," Grovyle reassured. "We'll be out of here soon."

Keldeo hoped that would be true. Going into another tunnel, it appeared to finally be the way out. However, the tunnel was narrowing, and it got too narrow for Keldeo to fit through. His head got stuck in the opening, leaving only his hooves and his lower body free. His Aqua Jets only served to wedge himself in further, pushing his front hooves through and getting his lower body stuck further in. To make matters worse, the ice helmets had completely melted, leaving the three Pokémon to rely on their lung capacities. Grovyle tried to push Keldeo through, to no avail. Worse still, Fugon was panicking, causing himself to very rapidly lose air. Grovyle managed to get him to calm down and tried to explain a plan to him without speech. Fugon guessed Grovyle's body language was suggesting that they work together to dig Keldeo out of his predicament. After a few seconds, their combination of Grovyle's Dig attack and Fugon's Dragon Claw got Keldeo free, and the three could finally exit the submerged cavern. At last, they found the other way in, and exited the water. Air had never felt so good to breathe in. Fugon loosened his scarf and gave Keldeo and Grovyle a very tight hug.

"Oh, thank you for saving me twice!" Fugon said with deepest gratitude. "I owe my life to you both!" He let go of them to allow them to respond. Before they could, Articuno suddenly perched himself in front of the three. Fugon ducked behind Keldeo and Grovyle, cowering.

"Please don't let him freeze me again!" Fugon panicked. "I don't want to be an ice block again!"

"Oh, don't worry," Articuno said. "A pair of Infernape took that wretched Dark Blessing out of me about fifteen minutes ago. In fact, I brought them with me, and we were going to rescue you from that cave. Of course, it appears you three rescued yourselves. I'm impressed."

"You mean… you won't freeze us?" Fugon asked.

"No, I won't," Articuno said. "And I'm very sorry for freezing you."

"Oh, that was so scary when that happened. But, I forgive you, Articuno. But why were you acting so strange anyway?"

"We can fill you in on that," Fahrenheit said, climbing off of Articuno's back along with Celsius. The two Infernape sat down with Articuno and the three travelers to explain what has been going on.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Trapped in the Lake – Unrest (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)

Icy Cave – Snowman (MOTHER 1, StarTropicsKing remix)

Submerged Icy Cave – Water World (Donkey Kong Country 3 OST)


	8. Chapter 8 - The Two Healers

Chapter 8 – The Two Healers

* * *

"To protect the world from devastation," Blessing said triumphantly. She got no response from the young Meowth who was with her. "To protect the world from devastation," she repeated.

"Blessing, what's the point of this?" Meowth asked. "Why do you keep repeating that?"

"Well, I'm trying to see if you can pitch me a line to follow it," Blessing answered.

"You know, I doubt this field is empty," Meowth said. "Tons of Demon-types could be eavesdropping on you right now."

"Strike, just help me with this!"

"Why? What's the point of some dumb motto?"

"Well, I wanna have something creative to say when I'm ready to do good, being as we're now poised to take the world back. I want something creative to say to our enemies to let them know that things are going to get exciting."

Strike stared blankly at Blessing.

"Exciting for us, I mean. It'll be painful for them."

"It's certainly painful for me. Am I an enemy?"

"No, you're just picking up too much of my sarcasm."

"You know, it's kinda nice seeing your true personality."

"Well, since I'm currently not in a coffin about to be dropped in a boiling pool, I can afford to act like this."

Strike looked shocked at that statement, as if a memory had been jogged.

"Well, that explains where I'd seen you before," he said. "Sheesh, how many years ago was that?"

"Ten or so," Blessing answered. "That was the first time we ever met The World Destroyer."

"She was a lot weaker back then, and dumber. After all, she trusted you with a share of her power, and look at you now."

"Well, that's what she gets for killing my sister."

"Oh? You and your friends couldn't save her?"

"Nope. The World Destroyer got her."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Strike gave Blessing a small hug. "I'm sure she's proud of you now."

"Oh, I think so, too. I got to live her dream for her and make a difference in the world."

"I agree with that. I mean, the fact you're friends with members of The Alpha Bloodline despite being Demon-type is proof of that."

All of a sudden, Strike started to shiver.

"Hey, are you alright, Strike?"

"Y-yeah… but I'm fr-freezing. I l-l-l-lost m-my warmer."

"Warmer? You mean, like a sweater or something?"

"S-s-something like that. It goes on m-my tail."

"Sorry, but I've never seen an object like that. Just huddle up close to me. I'll try to warm you up."

As soon as Strike huddled up to Blessing, the two suddenly were shoved into a bag. Blessing was better prepared this time and sliced the bag open as the captor had reached a fast river.

"You again?!"

The Sableye was taken aback. Blessing got a better look at him and could tell this was no normal Sableye. There was a black jewel in his forehead, and a ruby, sapphire, and emerald on its front, rather than having the sapphire and emerald on its back. In fact, this Sableye's back had no gems on it.

"Please, just come with me, will you?" the Sableye said, sounding as though he was begging. "I'm starving!"

"Starving?" Blessing asked. "And how would abducting us feed you?"

"Well, I thought if I handed you to The World Destroyer, she'd give me some food."

"…what." Blessing literally couldn't believe what she just heard.

"My diet is gems, and I can't find any! I'm going to starve to death!"

"So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you think that abducting me and handing me off to The World Destroyer, not to mention not caring whether an innocent bystander gets caught alongside me, will get you food? That she'll just hand you a three-course meal because you did a Demon-type's job for her?"

"Are you telling me she won't?"

"Yes, and I'm also telling you you're a complete idiot for thinking that. You seriously think a kill-crazy spirit with the destructive tendencies of a natural disaster, the coldest and blackest heart of any living thing, a soul matching the shade of her heart or lack thereof, no regard for any life including her own, and whose every thought is basically 'SCREW THE WORLD, EVERYTHING MUST DIE', will feed you for doing _anything_, even if it's a favor she never asked you for?"

"So, she's just gonna double-cross me?"

"Of course she is!"

"Oh. Okay… I'll leave you alone, then."

"But you said you were hungry, right? Because, though neither of us have any gems, we can give you some of our food."

"Well, it won't sustain me for long, but okay. What have you got?"

"Not much, unfortunately," Strike chimed in. "Just some apples and Grass Gummis. Dig in."

The Sableye finished his serving before Blessing and Strike even got their portions out. "Name's Zircon," he said. "I've never eaten a real gem. I've only ever eaten zircons and zirconiums. That's where I got my nickname from. See these?" He tapped the gems on his torso. "Fake. Fake. And fake." He then pointed at the gem on his forehead. "This is a strange one. It's apparently called Mortite, and it literally tastes like a corpse. That, and it made my skin crawl when I ate it, like I was near something or someone evil."

"Kinda like the apprehensive feeling we get when we're near The World Destroyer," Blessing said. "Trust me, it's a horrible feeling. I felt that on my first few days as a Demon-type, but when I saw through her tripe and started using that power for good, I stopped feeling that. It's strange, actually. Whenever I'm angry or feeling any negative feeling at all, I become cold, but whenever I feel happy or positive, I'm warm."

"I was wondering why you suddenly felt so comfortable to huddle up with," Strike said, getting over his shivering fit.

"Well, that's a sign of how happy I am."

Zircon then leaned back too far and fell into the river behind him. Blessing was quick to come to his rescue with some Evil Threads, which would have gone off without a hitch if Strike hadn't also fell into the river. Blessing snatched him up with the threads, too. Their combined weight was too much for her to handle, and she got pulled into the river herself. Zircon was carried off to the left path of a two-way split, and Blessing and Strike went down the right. Blessing tried to swim to Strike's rescue, which he needed since he couldn't swim. She wasn't a good swimmer herself, either. Repeatedly being pushed under the water was making things even more difficult. Strike lost consciousness when the river beat him head-first against a rock, and Blessing lost track of him at another split and fell down a small waterfall. It was a drop of no more than fifteen feet, though it was a painful landing for her. She managed to struggle ashore and dry herself off with her Demon-type power. She limped forth to search for Strike and Zircon.

* * *

Strike awakened in what looked like a rumpus room. He had a massive headache upon his awakening, and when he looked in a nearby mirror, he saw that he had a concussion on his head.

"He's awake!"

Suddenly, Strike was greeted by a young Monferno holding an Alpha Amulet.

"Good to see you're all better, young Meowth!" he said.

"Where am I?" Strike asked.

"A temporary residence I built," said Shadow, who had just entered the room.

"_You _built?" Magus called from the other room.

"Yeah, daddy, you just sat around all day!" said a little blue frog Pokémon with bubbles on his back, neck, and chest. "Uncle Magus did everything!"

"That's not true, Bubbles," Magus said. "He yelled at us until we got it right for his tastes."

"Oh, shut up!" Shadow said sarcastically as Magus chuckled. After a good laugh from everyone, they all got to their introductions.

"My name's Kelvin," the Monferno said, shaking Strike's hand.

"I'm Shadow, and this is my son Bubbles."

"I'm Magus, Shadow's brother."

"Hello to you all. I'm Strike. Thanks for helping me."

"Oh, you're welcome," Magus said. "You're very lucky to have survived a blow to the head like that. I wasn't there to see how it happened, but as a medical expert, I can tell that it would normally have killed a Pokémon of your size."

"I'm the one who found you at the shore!" Bubbles said. "I'm a hero!"

"Well, thanks everyone," Strike said. "I'm happy to be here. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to search for two friends of mine."

"You should rest here first," Kelvin said. "That concussion isn't safe to travel with as it is now. In fact, I think we should all get some sleep. Let's put the Alpha Guards up and call it a night."

Magus went outside with Kelvin to help put shields around the temporary residence. Shadow and Bubbles stayed inside with Strike.

"This is yours, isn't it?" Shadow asked, giving an item to Strike.

"My tail warmer!" Strike enthusiastically took the item from Shadow. It was a knitted sleeve shaped like a Meowth's tail. Strike straightened his tail and slipped it on immediately. "Thanks so much, mister Shadow! I need this to survive in the cold, or I'll freeze to death. The center of my body heat is my tail. It's a strange condition I was born with."

"I understand. Good thing I found it on the site I had this place built."

"Well, good night, sir. And you too, Bubbles."

"Good night."

"Good night! Don't let the Demons bite!"

* * *

It was hard for Blessing to lug around her damaged left leg. Her stunted traveling took her to a small cottage that looked haphazardly built. She had to hide quickly when she saw two Pokémon exiting the cottage and putting up an Alpha Guard around the area.

"Kelvin," she whispered to herself. "Who is that he's with?" The Delphox who was with Kelvin looked familiar, though she couldn't put her finger on it. The two went back into the cottage and locked all the entrances. She waited a few minutes, giving everyone in the house a chance to get to sleep before making her move. She approached the front door and slipped a small Evil Thread into the lock. In a few seconds, the lock was picked open. When she got inside, she saw Strike asleep by the fireplace.

_"Well, he's safe at least,"_ she thought to herself. _"But where's Zircon? Isn't he—"_

Suddenly, Blessing was struck in the back of the head and was instantly knocked unconscious. Bubbles had snuck up on her and got the drop on her. After shutting and locking the front door behind him, he wrapped her torso up with ropes, tying her arms up. He then put five Sleep Seeds in her mouth just as she started to wake up, and she swallowed them all by accident. As she was falling asleep, Bubbles pulled off some of the foamy bubbles off his back and stuffed them in her mouth, and put some more over her mouth, gluing it shut. Finally, he dragged her unconscious body upstairs and stuffed her in the closet of the room he was using as a bedroom and locked it.

"Wait till daddy deals with you tomorrow morning," Bubbles silently gloated. He then hopped up to his bed and went to sleep.

* * *

Strike awakened to the smell of a delicious White Gummi Platter. He was in the dining room at the speed of a Dodrio. He had his serving done in even less time.

"Well, good morning to you," Shadow said. "Hope you don't choke."

"He's a Normal-type, Shadow," Magus said. "What did you think would happen when you made that platter near one?"

"Oh, nothing. I thought he'd give it to a Ghost-type."

"No, I wouldn't have!" Strike said, not getting the joke.

"He was being sarcastic, Strike," Kelvin said, entering from the kitchen. "In fact, Shadow's sarcasm reminds me of my girlfriend's attitude."

"Daddydaddydaddydaddydaddydaddy!" Bubbles shouted, hopping around enthusiastically. "DaddycomeupstairsquicklylookwhatIdidquick!"

"Slow down, son, slow down," Shadow said. "What is it you want to show me?"

"Icaughtanintrude—"

"Bubbles, I can't understand a word!"

"Okay. I caught someone who was trying to break in. The burglar is locked up in my closet. Come and see!"

Shadow followed Bubbles up to his room to see what the young Froakie was so excited about.

"Son, you were supposed to notify me if you ever did something like this," Shadow scolded. "Even if you have to wake me up. What if this intruder was more ingenious?"

"Oh, she wasn't," Bubbles bragged. "She didn't even know I was there. And here she is!" Bubbles opened the closet to reveal the still sleeping Blessing. "Let's punish her!"

"Not yet. You know we don't attack enemies in their sleep."

"But what about you calling yourself the 'master of attacking enemies in their sleep?'"

"Well, I am, but I don't think this Sneasel is an enemy. I think I've seen her before."

"That's my girlfriend!" Kelvin shouted, having entered the room. "Bubbles, what exactly did you do?"

"Hey, I didn't know your date was a Sneasel!" Bubbles defended. "How was I supposed to know you're in love with her? I only just saw her last night?"

"Bubbles, don't dodge his question!" Shadow scolded.

"Well, she got in the house, and I just snuck downstairs and knocked her out. I put her to sleep with five Sleep Seeds and then locked her in the closet. Honest, I didn't know who she was! I thought she was bad!"

"It's okay, son," Shadow said, softening his disciplinary approach. "I wouldn't have known, either."

"Untie her and removed those Frubbles from her mouth," Kelvin said. "I'll be right back."

Shadow and Bubbles got to work freeing Blessing from her bindings. As expected, she was still asleep. At that moment, Kelvin returned with some sort of powder. Magus followed Kelvin.

"Remember, Kelvin," Magus instructed. "Don't get it in her nose. If it gets in her sinuses, it'll keep her awake for days and prevent her from resting when she needs it. It must go directly down her throat."

"Got it, Magus," Kelvin responded. "Is her mouth washed out? This Chesto Powder could stick to those Frubbles."

"Her mouth is clean," Shadow said. "Pour away."

Kelvin poured the Chesto Powder into Blessing's mouth and down her throat. The effect was instantaneous. Blessing awakened in a coughing fit, coughing up the powder she involuntarily swallowed.

"Good morning, honey," Kelvin greeted.

"Sheesh, Kelvin, were you trying to choke me to death or something?!" Blessing demanded. "What was that stuff?!"

"Chesto Powder," Magus answered on Kelvin's behalf. "Kelvin and I crushed some Chesto Berries to make it. We made it for you so it could cancel the effects of the five Sleep Seeds my nephew force-fed you."

"So, you're a doctor, huh? And Kelvin's your nurse?"

"Yes, in a way," Kelvin answered. "I wanted to learn to be a healer, so I decided to take lessons from Magus, the best healer there is."

"Appropriate that your protégé's first patient was his date, huh brother?" Shadow quipped.

"Hey, tongue-for-a-scarf," Blessing said. "Leave the sarcasm to me."

"Sorry, Shadow," Kelvin added. "But my sweetie here is pretty much the queen of smart-alleck…ery."

"And you, my honey," Blessing added. "Are the king of sappiness."

"You're both the rulers of Sappy Town," Bubbles said. "I shouldn't have removed my Frubbles from her mouth."

"Oh, kiddo, you haven't even remotely humiliated me," Blessing taunted.

"Indeed," Kelvin added. "In fact, Blessing, it was your most humiliating injury that made me want to become a healer."

"So, you just felt bad for not being able to heal me faster that time?"

"Yeah. But that'll never happen again. If you ever get hurt like that again, I'll be able to heal it faster."

"Excuse me, but how exactly did you attempt to heal her injury before?" Magus asked. "And what was the injury?"

"Her tail—"

"My tailbone got broken once."

At that, Bubbles burst into a fit of laughter. "You're right!" he said. "Frubbles in the mouth have _nothing_ on a broken butt! Is that why you have such a big butt?!"

"Okay, Bubbles!" Shadow scolded. "You're going to time out! You do not speak to a lady like that!"

"Oh, come on, daddy! I was just asking!"

"Well, that's not an appropriate question to ask!" Shadow scooped Bubbles up and placed him in the corner of the room. "And you stay there for five minutes, or you're not having Blue Gummi curry tonight."

"Anyway," Blessing continued. "A clumsy friend of mine knocked a door over on me with what I can only assume was a Body Slam attack. My tailbone broke instantly. And for the record, I've always had this hip size."

"I simply used an Alpha Heal to try to heal her tailbone," Kelvin said. "It would've healed up in two days if an enemy of ours hadn't stomped on it."

"I see the situation now," Magus said. "Was she bandaged?"

"Yes, she was."

"Yeah, that was embarrassing, wearing those bandages on my behind. Was that not enough?"

"Actually, no," Magus continued. "She would have to have kept perfectly still."

"Well, there's the problem right there," Kelvin said, smirking at Blessing. "All you had to do was sit still."

"All things considered, you did well for that time," Magus conceded. "However, you still have lots to learn. Of course, you're picking up on my lessons very well, Kelvin. You're well on your way to being a great healer."

"Well, Kelvin, honey," Blessing said. "I would never have expected you to choose that profession, but I wish you luck on it."

"Aw, thanks, sweetie," Kelvin said, giving Blessing a quick kiss.

* * *

"I've got him, my liege," Mew said.

**"I see that,"** The World Destroyer responded. **"And another familiar face is set to return to this planet. Greet the guest while I see to the one you've brought to me."**

"As you wish." Mew went off on her new assignment. The World Destroyer then approached the Pokémon brought before her and prepared a Dark Blessing.

**"I require your services, fearful one. You are going to be doing the work of two and possibly more, and you will mean something to the world in doing so. But you must remember who you fear most. Picture that Pokémon's face. Remember his speech. Never forget the name of that Pokémon."**

The World Destroyer leaned closer to the guest.

**"Do you remember now, hmm?"**


	9. Chapter 9 - The Replacement Vessel

Chapter 9 – The Replacement Vessel

* * *

At a rocky mountainside, Vand and some friends have been making progress.

"I've been separated from Pelame for a month now," Vand said. "Where could she be?!"

"Don't worry, Vand," Virizion said. "You'll find her someday."

"We just have to keep looking, hmm?" Quagsire added. "Maybe we'll find her, and some of our other friends."

"Well, I'm glad we found all of you," Vand said. "Especially you two." He looked toward Espeon and Umbreon. "Hydreigon thought you two were dead. He'll be so relieved to see that you aren't."

"Well, I must say that was a horrible event," Espeon said. "I've never seen a creature so ruthless in all my life!"

"Vand, we can't apologize enough for losing Pokémon Paradise to The World Destroyer," Umbreon said. "Hydreigon implied how monstrous she is, but seeing her in action… well… she can't be forgiven! She's evil!"

"She is rather unpleasant," Quagsire added. "It's good we have a way to fight her off, hmm? And her team, too."

"Though it is certainly going to be tough," Umbreon admitted. "We can hardly even get around thanks to our Magnagates being messed with."

"I think we'll manage," Espeon reassured. "After all, Vand can fight Demon-types properly, and so can many others. Plus, whoever Pelame is, I don't think she'll go down easily."

"I know," Vand responded. "But I'm still worried. I just hope she's okay."

"We all do, hmm." Quagsire said.

Vand never could get those thoughts out of his head, but he was able to go on despite his worries. He was confident in her abilities, as well as his own. The friends he was traveling with were all familiar with his new power, and had received an explanation from him about what the Alpha Bloodline is. One look to the west at where the Alpha Beacon let him know how much ground he had to cover, and it looked rather far. He couldn't help but feel like he had stayed on square one for too long to tolerate.

"Hang in there, Pelame," Vand said.

* * *

"My greatest apologies, my liege," Mew said. "Jirachi's Comet hasn't yet entered the atmosphere. I couldn't intercept it."

The World Destroyer was surprisingly tranquil at hearing such disappointing news.

**"He remembers,"** she said. **"He's trying to avoid granting another wish to me and anyone associated with me. His return to this planet is hundreds of years earlier than scheduled, and he's aware of it. I'm just amused that he thinks I'm going to pass this chance by."**

"While we wait, what shall we do?"

**"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just return to dealing with Pelame and her friends."**

"As you wish. And is our new soldier ready?"

**"Not quite yet. He was quite stubborn in the process of receiving my spirit, but he won't resist forever. When he realizes that what I told him was the truth, he'll be mine for certain. All he'll need to do is say my name."**

* * *

That night on the mountainside, Vand and friends had set up camp. Vand was running low on his food rations he had brought from Pokémon Paradise, so his friends gave some of their food rations to him, figuring that since he was the youngest of them, he'd need it more than they would. No attempt to refuse their charity worked. After the exchange, they all had a hearty meal with which they were joined by Munna.

"I'm still in disbelief that this happened," Munna said. "So soon after you and Torden had saved the world from the Bittercold, this new enemy arrives. It's like you had worked for nothing!"

"I don't see it that way, Munna," Vand responded. "We had peace in the time between the Bittercold's attack and The World Destroyer's. And after The World Destroyer is dealt with, I don't see how the peace can be disturbed again."

"But one thing bothers me. The World Destroyer's power is extremely similar to the Bittercold's. They even had the same goal, though the Bittercold aimed for just one world. So why would The World Destroyer have the same kind of power?"

"Beats me. What I would like to know is why, if I am a member of the Alpha Bloodline, I only realized that a month ago when I first met Pelame. If I'd been an Alpha-type all my life, why did I never have access to the power until that day?"

"You met Pelame that day, right?" Espeon asked. "Maybe that meeting had something to do with it?"

"Can that happen if two members of the Alpha Bloodline meet?" Umbreon asked.

"I wouldn't know, hmm?" Quagsire added.

"Neither would I," Virizion added. "But that seems to be the only good explanation we have so far."

"Not only that, but I keep having the same dream every night," Vand added. "Remember the Glacier Palace? That's what I keep dreaming about. Me and Pelame are visiting its ruins. I don't know what we're to do there, because the dream keeps ending at the same spot. It never gets any farther than us entering through the front door."

"Is that place even stable enough to stay standing?" Umbreon said. "How would one enter it?"

"Through the front door," Munna answered. "That part at least is intact. And you need to take this with you, Vand." Munna gave an icy cup-like object to Vand. "Bring that Frism to the Glacier Palace ruins. Hydreigon gave that to me with those instructions."

"All right," Vand responded as he placed the Frism in his supplies bag. "I'll remember that. So Pelame and I will have to stop by the Glacier Palace ruins on the way to the Alpha Sanctuary."

"So it appears we, or rather, the Alpha Bloodline members have at least three clear objectives now," Virizion said. "Purify all of The World Destroyer's vessels, investigate the Glacier Palace, and reach the Alpha Sanctuary."

"And the end result is The World Destroyer's undoing," Espeon added.

"That sounds doable," Umbreon added. "And I guess the non-Alphas are to do what they can to help?"

"Definitely," Quagsire answered. "Tomorrow, we begin! But now, we sleep, hmm?"

With a plan finally set, the group got to sleep after Vand put up an Alpha Guard around their camping space. That night, Vand had a strange dream.

* * *

_Vand found himself standing in front of the ruins of an icy palace with Pelame standing next to him. Together they entered the ruins. Inside, they found a large—_

* * *

The next morning, the group was awake and ready to begin their strategy. Vand removed the Alpha Guard as soon as all the supplies were gathered up. To his surprise, Scraggy was standing outside.

"Good morning, shorty!" he said. "Could I go with you?"

"Scraggy? When did you get here?" Vand asked.

"I've been here all night. I arrived while you were asleep. I just slept over there, out of the way."

"You could have joined us, anyway," Virizion said. "We wouldn't have minded. It would not have been an intrusion."

"And to, hmm, answer your question," Quagsire added. "Yes. Just be careful. We're being chased by very dangerous figures, hmm?"

"Oh, that'll be no problem," Scraggy boasted. "No danger will come near us while I'm around! Let's get going."

"All right," Vand said. "Don't order us around, though."

"Yeah, too bad we don't have Torden here to take orders from," Scraggy quipped. "I'd rather he lead us, honestly. But I guess you'll do for now, Vand."

"Well, Torden never exactly barked orders at us, Scraggy," Umbreon said. "And neither does Vand."

"Yeah, okay, I was only joking. Can we go already?!"

At Scraggy's urging, the group departed. The journey went on for a week. Along the way, they had multiple encounters with Demon-types, none of which gave Vand the chance to Purify them despite losing to him. Scraggy understood what Quagsire meant when he mentioned being chased by dangerous figures, though he never backed down from a challenge. Of course, on many an occasion that worked against him as Vand and the others had to keep bailing him out.

"Scraggy, get out of the way!" Munna finally shouted at him.

"No! I got this!" Scraggy said.

A quick and carefully aimed Razor Shell drove away the murderous Demon-type Frillish and rescued Scraggy.

"Vand, I said I got it!" Scraggy complained.

"No, Scraggy, you didn't," Vand said. "You were getting tossed around by that Frillish. We all saw you!"

"You keep getting in the way, hmm?!" Quagsire added.

"Yeah, well, I don't see you accomplishing much!" Scraggy retorted, shocking everyone. He had never before stood up to Quagsire in his life. "Help out more next time if you so insist!"

For the next week, things went on much the same way. Tensions wavered, and Scraggy was starting to get the hang of things. He even worked up the courage to apologize to Quagsire for his outburst, and the two were on good terms again. The next night, camp was set up on a small flowery hilltop. Vand put up the Alpha Guard to protect everyone in their sleep. Except, Scraggy couldn't get to sleep. He even got Vand awake.

"Scraggy, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know," Scraggy answered.

"Want to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?"

"Well, lots of things. Where we need to go, what we need to do, what we've noticed along the way."

"Well, I haven't noticed anything, except for those fancy powers of yours. I mean, I have a bit of an understanding of that Alpha Bloodline thing, but I'm still confused by it."

"Me, too, Scraggy. Me, too."

"Well, good night, kid."

"Good night, Scraggy. We'll talk more later."

With that, the two got to sleep just like the others.

* * *

_Vand found himself standing in front of the ruins of an icy palace with Pelame standing next to him. Together they entered the ruins. Inside, they found a large—_

* * *

This afternoon was day fifteen of their travels. So far, all was good.

"Say, anyone notice that thing in the sky?" Munna asked.

"Which one?" Vand asked. "The Alpha Beacon, or…" Vand then noticed a comet in the sky, near the Beacon. "Wait… what is that?"

"It doesn't look like Victini's," Virizion said. "Speaking of whom, I wonder how he's been holding up."

"Well, if there was a V-Wave still in existence at this point," Espeon added. "It would likely be in the benefit of Demon-types. With The World Destroyer running things, she could likely have made it up."

"And yet, Alpha-types still can prevail," Umbreon said. "I guess it depends on the Pokémon."

"Well then, try me out!" said an unpleasantly familiar voice. "Mortalactite!"

Vand blocked a flurry of mortite daggers. Mew appeared before the group to follow up her opening attack with a larger stalactite attached to her tail. Virizion dodged Mew's lunge and sliced the weapon with her Magical Leaf attack. After that, Mew turned her attention to Munna.

"Say, replacement, why have you been failing your job?" she said. "All of these fools still live!"

"What are you talking about?!" Munna objected. "And what do you mean calling me 'replacement?'"

"Well, you really are stubborn, then. But, then, I've always been the top Vessel. The Ultimate Vessel, they call me. I could carry The World Destroyer's entire ambition on my shoulders! Speaking of which…"

Mew then tossed another Mortalactite at Munna. Scraggy finally managed to make himself useful by destroying the sharp object with a well-placed Focus Punch attack to its middle. Vand then landed a direct hit on Mew with an Aqua Jet attack.

"Alpha Purify!" Vand moved in for the finish, only for Mew to teleport away.

"Absolutely not!" she boasted. "I cannot be Purified, and I will not allow attempts to! I have too much to do!"

Out of options, Vand had only one idea remaining.

"Good luck, everyone," he said sadly. "Try to stay safe. Alpha Warp!"

Mew's rain of Mortalactites proceeded to land straight on the ground with no targets to hit.

* * *

"Ugh, back to square one!" Scraggy complained.

Vand, Scraggy, Munna, and Quagsire reappeared back at the rocky Cliffside where they were more than two weeks ago.

"Stupid Mew!" Munna shouted. "Why did she have to ruin everything?!"

"Wait a minute," Vand said. "She referred to you as a Vessel, Munna. But I think she was lying. I don't feel any Demon-type residual energy coming from you."

"Good, because I'm not a Vessel," Munna clarified. "And I never will be. I'd be damned if I ever found myself working for some world-wrecking maniac again!"

"You can feel if someone's a Vessel?" Scraggy asked.

"Yes, I can," Vand answered. "In some cases, it's very subtle, like with Meloetta. I didn't feel it from her, since she hid it well. In fact, she was very reluctant to be working for the Demon-types."

"You were the one who Purified her, hmm?" Quagsire asked.

"Yes, and that was quite an experience," Vand answered. "My entire spirit went into that finishing move. It hurt to an impossible extent when the Dark Blessing was overtaking me, but it felt amazing when I prevailed and pushed the evil out of her." Vand took a break from the conversation to put up an Alpha Guard around where they decided to camp. It was already evening.

"What a tiring week this has been," Scraggy whined.

"Quiet, Scraggy," Vand scolded. "Quagsire and Munna are already asleep."

"How come? It's not even night! Though it's impossible to tell in this darkness. Though isn't it funny how we still say 'good morning' as if that's even still a thing when we wake up?"

"Yeah, just a bit. Though it's reassuring to imagine that there is. By the way, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"You've been scared of Quagsire ever since he punished you, but you stood up to him about a week ago. What was with that?"

"Oh, that's simple. I'm not afraid of him anymore."

"Really?"

"Of course. It's no fun being scared of a friend."

"Well, that's great to hear!"

"Yeah, it's great not fearing him. I can show him my true side."

"So, why don't you fear him anymore?"

"Well, that's quite a story, Vand. You see, I was encouraged by somebody to stop fearing him. She told me what I know now. And she mentioned knowing you."

Vand's hopes skyrocketed upon hearing that. Maybe Pelame was okay after all.

"She said I no longer have anything to fear from Quagsire, so long as I keep my behavior in check near him."

"But that's how it was before, Scraggy. Unless you mean you've finally curbed your attitude."

"Well, I was told not to sacrifice that. I could still remain myself, and it's okay to correct him when I'm wrong. I could even get angry at him if I had to."

Vand was starting to feel skeptical about this story. This didn't sound like something Pelame would say.

"You saw that I did, and I was out of line."

"I know, but at least you knew that and made up for it."

"Yes, but the thing is, though I no longer fear Quagsire, I can still feel that beating he gave me, you know?"

"Just don't think about it like that."

"I can't help it, Vand. It drives me crazy."

As much as Vand was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the conversation's direction, he couldn't help but pity Scraggy for that.

"But, you know, there's something that can be done to cope with this."

Now Vand was finally compelled to ask.

"Okay, who were you talking to about this? It wasn't Pelame, was it?" Vand was hoping his hunch was right.

"No, Vand. It was not her I was talking to."

Vand's hopes plummeted right to the ground. But at least it could have been someone else who was helpful.

"Then who was it?" he asked. His next guess was Votum, though he immediately rethought that considering the conversation's subject matter. Then, he came to his next guess, which he sincerely hoped was wrong.

"It wasn't Pelame," Scraggy repeated.

"Then who was it? It wasn't—"

"The World Destroyer. I spoke… to Unod."

A dark aura emanated from Scraggy, causing Vand to infer that the name he just spoke was The World Destroyer's.

"Scraggy! Do you realize what you just did?!" Vand cried. He could now feel the uneasiness accompanying the presence of a Vessel.

"Yes, Vand," Scraggy answered grimly. "And I needed to. I can't be afraid of Quagsire anymore. I just can't!" Scraggy doubled over in pain and screamed. He felt his spirit being broken into and invaded. Dark power crept into him and occupied him as his dark aura got darker. Soon, he was able to stand again.

"I cannot fear Quagsire ever again!"

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Vand's Vision – N's Castle (Pokémon Black 2 / White 2, YoshiDude12's remix)

Scraggy's Blessing – Levias Appears (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword OST)


	10. Chapter 10 - Jirachi's Comet

**A/N: Pokémon Bank was partly responsible for this chapter's delay. But anyway, here it is. Sorry for how late this was.**

* * *

Chapter 10 – Jirachi's Comet

* * *

**_"But that won't be anything new for you, losing valued ones. Remember Loyal? And Cresselia? And Pokémon Paradise's populace?"_**

Pelame couldn't get those words out of her head, even though it had been about two-and-a-half weeks since that encounter at the Hidden Land ruins. The fact that Dusknoir, Grovyle, Celebi, Fahrenheit, Celsius, Lucifugon, and Keldeo had managed to catch up to her served to distract her from those thoughts and brighten her mood. But for some strange reason, she almost never could bring herself to even look at Keldeo, whose name she remembered seeing somewhere in Pokémon Paradise, the place she wanted to protect along with the rest of the world. If she had failed to save Paradise after all, what would be next?

However, acting blatantly against her usual character was Celebi. Having only rejoined the group earlier that day, she had to be told about everything that had happened up to this point, including what had happened at the Hidden Land. Upon hearing how Dusknoir had taken on a Dark Blessing in the first few moments of his life, she flew into an insane rage and started bludgeoning a nearby tree she had demanded (in a way that sounded like a threat) Grovyle to carve The World Destroyer's image into, all while screaming every obscenity she knew. Fugon was very frightened by the sight, and was crouched nearby and cowering.

"Is she usually like this?" Keldeo asked.

"No," Grovyle answered. "She's a bit energetic, but not to as violent an extent as this. On another note, I never had a cousin. The World Destroyer made that part up."

"Well, that makes sense. After all, why would someone tell their mortal enemy the truth? Also, shouldn't we calm her down?"

"Let her get it out of her system," Dusknoir answered. "It's better that this happens now than at a time where this would get her in danger, or worse."

"Good point," Keldeo conceded. "Though if I were her, I'd be happy to see how much you've changed since your darker days. After all, it's not every Pokémon who's able to understand they've been brainwashed all their lives."

"Some unfortunately remain fooled," Dusknoir responded.

"Mew," Pelame added. "She's still buying into The World Destroyer's lies."

"That's who I mean, Pelame," Dusknoir said. "She's an example of what happens when someone fails to be skeptical of The World Destroyer's intentions. She may not deserve it, but I can bring myself to pity her."

At that moment, Celebi had beaten the tree enough to fatigue herself. Grovyle cautiously approached her and picked her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"…Yeah, I'm fine," Celebi said between gasps for breath. "And, considering what Keldeo said, I am happy to see how much Dusknoir has changed since the days of the paralyzed planet."

"Paralyzed planet?" Keldeo asked. "You mean The World Destroyer once somehow inflicted paralysis on the entire planet?"

"That would take the biggest Cheri Berry in the world to heal," Fugon quipped, having emerged from his cowering spot.

"Wait, how do you not know about what almost happened to the world all those years ago?" Celebi asked incredulously.

"I would also think time's collapse would have gotten attention around the world," Celsius added with just as much incredulity as Celebi.

"Sorry, but it really is an unfamiliar event to me," Keldeo admitted, sounding ashamed.

"Me, too, to be honest," Fugon added. "Mind filling us in?"

The next few minutes were spent obliging Fugon's request, catching him and Keldeo up to speed about the events preceding The World Destroyer's first return. The events of her first return, non-permanent defeat, and the Demon Comet were recounted soon after.

"So, wait a second, there are a few things I don't get," Keldeo said. "Why were you unable to use your Alpha Powers until that comet was near? I thought Alpha Power was a lifelong gift. Though, then again, I never saw Vand use those same powers of his until he fought Meloetta."

"I haven't found that out yet, unfortunately," Pelame answered.

"And also, you said your partner Pugno was once a human? But how could that be? Humans don't live in the Pokémon World. Hydreigon would've had to call him into this world, and he wouldn't have been a human when he entered. That's how it was for Torden. He came to this world in the form of a Pikachu, not as a human. And he was only one of many humans called to this world. But out of all of them, only Torden was able to reach the Bittercold and destroy it."

"Just a minute," Celebi said. "Bittercold? Another human? I think you've also got some explaining to do, Keldeo."

At that, Keldeo told everything about Vand and Torden's adventures, and the quest to defeat the Bittercold.

"Of course, I was only there for the end of it," he finished. "I had to be filled in on the rest myself. You know, from what I heard about what Dusknoir was like before all of this, Kyurem was just about the same."

"They both thought the future couldn't, and shouldn't, be changed," Fahrenheit clarified. "Though they had different reasons for it."

"Plus, here's another ironic note," Grovyle said. "This Bittercold was trying to destroy the world, right? That's exactly the same goal as The World Destroyer, albeit with a different modus operandi."

"Yeah, the Bittercold took a simple approach," Keldeo said. "I can't even begin to understand The World Destroyer's approach, even if I was there with all of you when she returned the first time, and when that Demon Comet was near. Come to think of it, I don't remember either of those events, either. All I experienced was the Bittercold's attack."

"You think maybe The World Destroyer was hiding all of those events from each other?" Fugon asked, offering up a theory. "You think maybe she hid the Paralysis, Nightmare, her first return, and The Demon Comet from Keldeo, and she hid the Bittercold from everyone else?"

"Fugon, that is completely convoluted!" Celebi said. "But if that were true, then I wouldn't be surprised. After all, her mind, demented as it is, is basically a network that can't be made sense of. It hurts my mind even _trying_ to understand what she's thinking about."

"I personally am not even going to try to make sense of all this," Keldeo said. "It would hurt my brain, too. Besides, it wouldn't change the fact that she needs to be stopped at all costs."

"Now _that_, I think we all understand, and agree with."

"Then, tomorrow, we embark again," Pelame said.

"Agreed," everyone said. Pelame then got to putting up Alpha Guards around their camping area with help from Fahrenheit and Celsius. With proper protection cast, the group got to sleep.

Late into that night, while everyone was fast asleep, someone crept into the Alpha Guard's field of protection. It was no Demon-type, as it wasn't repelled by the barrier. It floated over to Fugon. It enveloped him in a magical aura.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

The intruder responded to this by tightening Fugon's Rawst Scarf, gagging him. Even though the Alpha Guard didn't repel the intruder, it did alert Pelame, Fahrenheit, and Celsius about the break-in. When the three awakened to investigate, they were surprised to see who it was. It was a short Pokémon with a yellow helmet-like object resembling a star on its head. It had three points with blue tags on the tips. It had yellow sleeve-like objects coming from its arms.

"Jirachi?!" Fahrenheit said. "What are you doing?"

"Please trust me," Jirachi said. "I'm saving this Noivern's life. I put him in incredible danger without meaning to. You mustn't let anyone know you saw me." With that, Jirachi was off with Fugon in tow.

* * *

Jirachi and Fugon emerged in what looked like a cavern with no entrances and no exits. He loosened Fugon's scarf.

"Why do you wear that thing?" he asked.

Fugon didn't answer. He was too stricken with fear to do anything but back away quickly.

"Please don't fear me," Jirachi reassured. "I am not your enemy. I only whisked you away to this place to rescue you."

Fugon had backed himself into a corner and had run out of room to go.

"I'm very sorry for putting you in such incredible danger."

Jirachi had come very close to Fugon. Fugon had nowhere else to hide, so he suddenly lowered his scarf and blasted Jirachi with a very powerful Flamethrower attack. Jirachi was harmed by the attack, but he wasn't angry.

"Please, you must calm yourself!" he said. "I am not your enemy. I'd like to be your friend."

Fugon's Flamethrower attack dissipated, leaving him no choice but to listen to Jirachi's words.

"A-are you certain abo-about that?" Fugon asked, quivering.

"Yes, I am. My name is Jirachi."

"I'm L-Lucifugon, b-but everyone calls me Fugon for short." While Fugon was introducing himself, random spurts of fire spouted out of his mouth. He quickly put his scarf back over his mouth, realizing this. "And that's why I wear this; it keeps me from accidentally burning everything. I can't control my Flamethrower."

"That's too bad, Fugon. Maybe I can help."

"No, thanks. I just want to go back home. I'll be your friend if you let me go back home."

"My deepest apologies, but I can't do that. And at this point, I can't explain my reasoning any more than by saying I'd be sending you to an early grave if I returned you now. I have taken us back to my Comet. We should be safe here."

"I h-hope so."

* * *

"I never want to fear anyone again!" Scraggy said.

"But why resort to letting The World Destroyer into your spirit?!" Vand asked. "Don't you know that she doesn't have your best interests at heart? She just using you to help herself, just like she does with all her Vessels!"

"Don't lie to me, Vand! Would you rather I be afraid forever?!"

"No, but—"

"Alright, then get outta my way!"

Scraggy shoved Vand aside with his newfound Demon power. This was met with a counterattack that knocked him over. He then got ready for the finish.

"I won't let you throw your spirit away!" he declared. "Alpha Purify!"

As Vand advanced on Scraggy to Purify him, Scraggy tucked in his legs, and sprung up from his back, kicking Vand in the face. He felt blood come out of his nose.

"Stay out of the way," Scraggy warned. He then approached the sleeping Quagsire. Vand threw his scalchop at Scraggy, which missed and hit Quagsire in the head, waking him up.

"What's the big idea, hmm?!"he demanded.

"Sorry, Quagsire," Scraggy said. "But this is the only way for me to deal with you!"

"Mud Slap!" Quagsire's attack hit Scraggy's eyes, blinding him. "Mud Shot!" Quagsire followed with a ball of mud thrown at Scraggy's head.

"Thangs, Quagsire! Leab the rezt to be!" Vand said, clutching his bleeding nose with his left hand. "Alpha Burify!"

Vand once again closed in to finish the conflict. Though blinded, Scraggy somehow was agile enough to dodge Vand's Purification attempt. He evaded for long enough to regain his sight, at which point he attacked Vand once again and interrupted his technique. Quagsire was quick to counter this by throwing another Mud Shot. Vand followed Quagsire's lead with an Alpha Orb attack, but Scraggy still wouldn't stay still long enough to be Purified. Out of options, Vand ensnared him with an Alpha Cord and dragged him close. Scraggy even managed to escape from that by teleporting out of the cord's grip. Surprisingly, he didn't try to attack again.

"You know what? Forget this!" Scraggy said, recognizing how tough the going had gotten. "I'll finish this later! Besides, Unod needs me for something. See ya later, weaklings!" Scraggy was off without another world.

"What happened to him, hmm?" Quagsire asked.

"The World Destroyer happened to him," Vand answered, upset with this new development. "She used his fear of you to get into his mind, and then corrupt his spirit."

"You don't mean…?" Munna asked, afraid of her own hunch.

"Yes, Munna," Vand said. "Scraggy is now a Vessel of The World Destroyer."

* * *

**"You didn't finish your job, replacement,"** The World Destroyer scolded.

"Oh, I can take care of Quagsire anytime I want," Scraggy boldly said. "I hate to admit it, but I'll have to train and get myself ready for round two. Quagsire's still kinda tough. And that Vand kid is no slouch, either."

**"It's a rather sad state of affairs that you're weaker than the newest addition to the Alpha Bloodline. Nonetheless, your timing for this mission coming upon us in a few minutes is one thing you miraculously managed to do right. Now, assume the position next to Mew."**

Scraggy stood where he was told to stand. He had become the end of a long line of Vessels. They were all looking up at the sky, or rather, at an object passing through the sky.

**"Everyone, this is your cue!"**

At that signal, The World Destroyer and all of her Vessels unleashed Evil Threads from their hands and caught the object in the sky with them. The comet-like object stopped and started falling down to the planet. It made a rough landing, damaging the planet even though it was only the size of a small house.

**"Jirachi, you will be mine once again."**

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Confusion – Just Wondering (Kingdom Hearts ReChain of Memories OST)

Fending Scraggy Off – The Force In You (Kingdom Hearts ReChain of Memories OST)

Catching Jirachi's Comet – Shaded Truths (Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST)


	11. Chapter 11 - Jirachi's Tale

Chapter 11 – Jirachi's Tale

* * *

"Wh-what just happened?!" Fugon asked.

"The World Destroyer and her Vessels intercepted my comet," Jirachi answered. "They pulled it down to the planet."

"You mean…?"

"Yes. The World Destroyer is trying to get another wish out of me. She's trying to reserve the wish all to herself. She must be aware that someone got there ahead of her."

"Really? Who?"

"Believe it or not, Fugon, it's you. And that's why I have to hide you while I try to deter The World Destroyer."

Jirachi started glowing with a gold light, and began transforming Fugon.

"My many apologies for this, but it'll keep you safe for a while. I'm turning you into an asteroid and sending you to outer space."

"H-hey! Wait a second! Won't I—"

"You'll be protected from space's effects as an asteroid, and I'll change you back to normal after I'm done. Now, please be safe, my friend."

Jirachi gave Fugon a hug as he transformed the dragon into an asteroid. He then teleported the asteroid into outer space.

"See you soon, my friend."

* * *

"Perfect landing!" Mew said. "That wish is as good as yours, my liege!"

**"Not yet, unfortunately,"** The World Destroyer said. **"It'll be another seven days before he'll be ready. That's time I can use to tend to more important matters, such as those meddlers of the Alpha Bloodline, and the one who cut in front of me in an attempt to deny me a wish. For now, though, I can secure my standing as the one to gain a wish. When he's my Vessel, I'll get the wish regardless of the rules in place of his wish granting."**

"Wow, that's a perfect cheat right there," Scraggy said. "Just like cutting in line!"

**"In the meantime, the rest of you disperse to your duties. Scraggy, you go with Mew and train. She is the only one who will be able to shape you up into a proper evildoer from the completely hopeless joke you are now, but only if you follow her every order. And Mew, see to it that he doesn't mess this up, because, rest assured, he will. He's a worthless weakling who will never amount to anything no matter what, but under your care, there's the slightest chance he can wriggle up from his current standing."**

"As you wish," Mew responded. "I'll whip him into shape. And if he ever messes up, I'll let you punish him."

**"Very well. Now then, Jirachi is waiting for me."**

The World Destroyer then entered the comet and infiltrated Jirachi's chamber.

**"Greetings to you, Wish Vessel," **The World Destroyer greeted.

Jirachi looked at her and didn't respond.

**"You can't hide your knowledge of why I'm here, Jirachi. Nor can you avoid giving me what I desire. Even though you've visited someone, in the end, I will be getting the wish instead. As you are my Vessel, no one else gets a wish from you."**

At that declaration, The World Destroyer grabbed Jirachi's neck with her right hand and enveloped him in a dark aura. Jirachi felt his spirit being broken into and infected. He had been turned into a Vessel. With her foul work done, she then left with the words, **"See you in seven days!"**

Despite being infected with a Dark Blessing, Jirachi was able to retain himself. But with the struggle starting, he knew he wouldn't be himself for long. It was this moment he decided to come clean. But first…

"Fugon, return!"

A small asteroid materialized into the chamber, crumbling away to reveal Fugon.

"I'm very sorry, Fugon," he said to the Noivern. "The worst has indeed happened. I have been forced to take on a Dark Blessing, which means you will not be getting your wish. Not unless I am Purified by a member of the Alpha Bloodline."

"Well, then you have nothing to worry about," Fugon reassured. "My friend Pelame can fix that."

"Then I hope she arrives soon," Jirachi said. "Fugon, I need to confess something to you. And I apologize for not saying this sooner."

"I'm all ears."

"Okay." Jirachi looked bothered by what he was about to confess. "I really am sorry for putting you in such terrible danger. But it's time I told you everything. You see, you've been in danger ever since you spoke to me. Whenever my comet nears this planet, the first life form to speak to me gets a wish granted by me. That's why you're getting a wish, because you were the first one to speak to me. And that's also why you're in danger; The World Destroyer knows you've gotten ahead of her in getting to make a wish, so she's trying to get it all to herself. She's made me a Vessel, which means she'll get the wish if I'm not Purified by the time Wish Day comes. And if she finds you, she'll make you disappear." Jirachi started to tear up. "I came down to this planet to search for someone to speak to me, all in the name of denying The World Destroyer her wish. I didn't know who it would be, and in fact, it could very well not have been you. But regardless of who it was, it's no excuse to put them in harm's way. Fugon, I'm so sorry!"

"Jirachi, please don't be so sad," Fugon reassured. "Everything will be fine. Pelame will Purify you. Just think positive."

"I'll try to," Jirachi said. "But you deserve to know why I went to such extremes to try to deny The World Destroyer her wish. The truth is, she got to me once before. And the wish she made was one that devastated the world. It was for a comet that increased the power of her Vessels when it was nearby. In short, she wanted a comet of her own that would power up her Vessels and influence any evil thoughts other Pokémon could have. She called it the 'Demon Comet.'"

Fugon remembered the events that had been explained to him regarding the Demon Comet.

"Thankfully the comet doesn't exist anymore, but it made her return possible. And it was all my fault." Right there, Jirachi finally broke down crying. Fugon went to comfort him.

"Jirachi, please don't cry," he said. "Everything will be fine. Pelame will save you."

"I hope so."

"Besides, if it makes you feel any better, there's really nothing I want to wish for. I mean, it would be nice if I wasn't such a wimp and if I could control my Flamethrower, but those are things I can accomplish on my own."

Jirachi's tears stopped when he felt Fugon's kindness. "You know, you remind me of the only life form who ever made a selfless wish."

That got Fugon's attention again.

"His name was Bidoof, and his wish was a simple one. He wished for someone he could be a mentor and a friend to at the Wigglytuff Guild. I granted it, and as a result, Pelame and Pugno joined the Guild. However, the only thing I did to grant that wish was to have the idea put into Pelame's mind to join the Guild. That Bidoof was such a kind one. However, a wish is always my command. It's really stressful being nothing but a tool to give someone what he or she may want. And suppose it's a bad one who wants something, like The World Destroyer. I think you'll agree, but she must not have her wish."

"Indeed, I do agree with that," Fugon said. "And she won't. I promise."

"I hope things turn out as hopeful as you say they will. In fact, I thought about the possibility of being made a Vessel. In a few minutes, I will be going into hibernation. While I'm doing that, this comet will be protected from all intruders until Wish Day comes. You must remain here in order to ensure you gain the wish, whatever it may be."

"Don't worry. I'll watch over you."

"Good. You can help Deoxys guard me, then."

The two were joined by a tall red alien-like Pokémon with a long head.

"As you wish, Jirachi," the Pokémon said. "And, if I may, I would like to train Fugon. The World Destroyer will likely contend for her wish."

"Yes, Deoxys," Jirachi answered. "He will need to learn to fight properly in case The World Destroyer decides to resort to violence. I'll leave it to you. One more thing; Lunatone and Solrock, you two must find Pelame and inform her of this development. Guide her to this comet."

"As you wish, Jirachi," said the two space rock Pokémon, as they departed.

"Now, Fugon, I hope to see you again on Wish Day. Until then, farewell. And good luck to all of you."

A gold aura emanated from Jirachi, forming a shield around himself. A bigger shield erupted from him as well. He then entered a deep sleep.

"He is hibernating now," Deoxys explained. "Nothing will awaken him from his sleep. He will be awake on Wish Day, as he predicts. That will give us seven days to get you ready. He's also erected another shield to protect the comet. That way, we can continue undisturbed."

"If it's for Jirachi, I'll train with you," Fugon said. "From him, I feel the same warmth in my heart I feel when I'm around Grovyle, Keldeo, Pelame, and the others I've met."

"Generally, that's how friendship feels," Deoxys responded. "Use those feelings to help you grow stronger. Friendship is a concept that is hopelessly beyond The World Destroyer's understanding, making it possible to be used against her. Put your willingness to protect Jirachi into your attack, and hit me with your best shot now!" Deoxys then transformed into a bulkier version of himself. "Don't worry about me. In my Defense Forme, I can withstand most anything. Now, come at me!"

Fugon decided to trust Deoxys's words, and came at him with the strongest Flamethrower attack he could muster. As expected, Deoxys stood there as if he felt nothing at all. He changed back to his Normal Forme.

"Excellent shot!" he complimented. "Maybe I can get you to control that attack of yours, negating the need for that drab Scarf!"

* * *

Soon enough, seven days passed. Fugon's confidence grew substantially though his cowardice was still there somewhat, as well as his control over his Flamethrower attack. He still had to wear the scarf, though.

"You've come far, Fugon," Deoxys complemented. "Now, even The World Destroyer will have trouble reaching Jirachi."

"I am ready to drive any intruder away!" Fugon declared, in a shaky attempt to sound confident.

**"Are you really, coward?"**

The chamber was infiltrated by The World Destroyer, who was accompanied by Mew.

"No training in the world could prepare you for facing two Demon-types!" she basted. "Prepare to lose your wish!"

Deoxys and Fugon assumed battle stances, ready to protect the Wish Pokémon.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Jirachi's Confession – Yuugure (Digimon Adventure OST)


	12. Chapter 12 - Wish Day

Chapter 12 – Wish Day

* * *

"I brought some Mortalactites along for the both of you!" Mew shouted as she flung two Mortite spears at Deoxys and Fugon. Deoxys used his Defense Forme to block both of them. "No matter what happens, that wish will be The World Destroyer's!"

"No, it won't!" Fugon said, sounding the most confident he had ever sounded in his life.

**"And why should it be yours if you don't even want anything?!"**

"The only thing that matters is his happiness! That's all I ever wanted him to be ever since he and I got to be friends!"

The World Destroyer didn't dignify that statement with a response, and opted to unleash an attack. Fugon was lashed with her Dark Whip. Deoxys changed into his Attack Forme and fended off the whip, but had Mew to contend with. Mew came at Deoxys swinging a Dark Whip of her own. Fugon and Deoxys at one point managed to get the two whips to tangle on each other. This didn't last, and the two Demon-types resumed their attack.

"Fugon, you're doing great!" Deoxys complimented. "Just keep it up for thirty more minutes!"

"But if Pelame doesn't get here before then—"

"Have faith, Fugon! She'll be here!"

**"Indeed, she will. She can't resist a chance to save the world for the Nth time. She'll join you two in oblivion!"**

The World Destroyer transformed her left arm into a lance and lunged at Fugon with it, coating it in a Heart Stopper attack. Fugon deflected it with his Dragon Claw attack, though he ended up conducting the electricity to himself. He managed to avoid getting paralyzed by the surprise attack. He deflected her next lunge with an Iron Tail attack, leaving him open to a surprise ambush from Mew.

"Move Pause!"

The strange technique hit Fugon directly, though he received no damage from it. He did find that his tail didn't return to its normal flesh form. It was stuck in its Iron Tail state, and it slowed him down greatly. Mew then took her chance while The World Destroyer focused on Deoxys.

"Kiss your wish goodbye, coward!" she cried as she generated a Mortite spear and tossed it at Fugon. Before the spear could strike Fugon, an Alpha Guard appeared around him. Pelame came to his rescue, and then tossed her Alpha Amulet at The World Destroyer.

"Alpha Warp!"

The World Destroyer was teleported out of the chamber, leaving Mew to fend for herself.

"Alpha Summon!" Pelame's Amulet returned to her. Grovyle and Dusknoir joined Deoxys and Fugon for the offensive while Pelame went over to the hibernating Jirachi.

"Remember the plan, everyone," she said. "Keep Mew and The World Destroyer busy while I see to Jirachi. It'll be harder with the others scattered everywhere by Scraggy, but I think we can do it. I'm counting on you all. Good luck."

"Good luck to you, too, Pelame!" Grovyle said. Pelame then stacked about thirty Alpha Guards around herself and Jirachi. Fugon hobbled over into the guard, taking a chance given to him by Deoxys.

"Fugon, what happened to your tail?" Pelame asked.

"Mew used a strange move called Move Pause when I attacked her boss with my Iron Tail," Fugon answered. "I'm guessing it does exactly that; pauses a move so that it doesn't stop being used."

"I'll take care of it—"

"Not now. We need to help Jirachi first!"

Pelame accepted that and went forward to Jirachi, ready to Purify the Wish Vessel. However, a force field prevented her Amulet from making contact.

"He's hibernating, Pelame. Nothing will get to him until Wish Hour."

"That's in about ten minutes!"

Meanwhile, outside the Alpha Guards, Mew was laying down a ballistic offensive onto the three Pokémon guarding Jirachi.

"Ten minutes left!" she cried. "Can you really last that long against me!?"

"We'll certainly try to," Grovyle responded.

"Fugon will get his wish," Dusknoir added. "And neither you nor your leader will interfere!"

"Okay, time to make her proud of me once again, then!"

Mew came at the three with a set of eight Mortite spears which she manipulated with her natural psychic powers. Three of them came swiping at the three Pokémon. Grovyle blocked one with his Leaf Blades, Dusknoir shattered one with a well-aimed Shadow Punch, and Deoxys snatched one of them away from Mew's telekinetic grasp. Mew then teleported behind the three, and attempted to sink them into the three from behind. Though they avoided being impaled, Grovyle suffered a small cut on his side. Mew then attempted to sink a smaller Mortite spear into the cut, a fate from which he was spared by Deoxys changing into his Speed Forme and tackling her away. Mew then tossed it at Deoxys, who dodged it quickly. Unfortunately, with the intended target out of the way, it ended up striking Grovyle, sticking right above his tail.

Within the Alpha Guard stack, Jirachi had been observing through his sleep. A tear escaped from his eyes. Fugon could hear his muttering.

_"I am nothing but a prize,"_ he murmured. _"Just an object for greedy figures to exploit. Fugon, help me, please."_

"Don't worry," Fugon reassured. "I will. Please don't cry."

Outside in the fray, Mew's confidence grew even bigger.

"One minute left! You're losing your energy!" Mew gloated. "My liege, I've kept them busy!"

Suddenly, the stack of Alpha Guards was destroyed instantly by a Mortite drill thrown at it by The World Destroyer, who had taken the perfect chance to reenter the fight.

"Pelame, Purify him now!" Fugon ordered. "There's no other choice but to try! I'll guard you!"

"Got it!" Pelame responded, going over to Jirachi. While Fugon tried his best to hold The World Destroyer off, Pelame attempted to get through Jirachi's hibernation-induced force field. After a brief struggle, she was miraculously able to get through. "Alpha Purify!"

With the Amulet making contact with Jirachi, Pelame began the Purification. Fugon guarded her with Solrock and Lunatone's help, the latter two having gotten into the chamber.

"Save some for me!" Celebi declared, entering as well with an Ancient Power attack landing a direct hit on the fiend. "That was for Dusknoir!"

**"You all truly think this is worth it, then?"** The World Destroyer bantered while exchanging blows with her adversaries. **"Even if I am denied my wish, what difference will it make? Can you tell me honestly? Can you tell me what the difference is between Jirachi granting a wish to me and granting one to Fugon? He's still granting a wish, right?"**

"So, you're trying this approach again, huh?" Celebi asked. "You think you can fool us with your mind games?"

**"You heard that, Jirachi?! None of these Pokémon regard your feelings as a life form! Fugon wants a wish, and nothing more! That's the only reason you live; as the servant of whoever bothers to speak to you as the equal they want to fool you into thinking you are!"**

"Jirachi, don't listen to her!" Pelame's spirit said to Jirachi's as the Purification was nearing completion.

**"If I get my wish, the world is finished. If Fugon gets his, it's safe. It rides on you, Jirachi. And I remember you saying to Fugon that it stresses you out being a tool to go to for wishes. Is that not also what Fugon did, even if it was an accident?"**

_"I don't…"_ Jirachi's spirit murmured. _"Want to…"_

**"Whether it's me wishing for my Demon Comet, Bidoof wishing for friends, or the outcome of this encounter, it all is about you being the makeshift counselor who makes it possible. What value is to be had in that? Did you want to be a normal Pokémon? Because you will never, ever be. You are the Wish Pokémon, a means for someone to get what he or she may want. Just a gift that keeps giving, and is not allowed to stop giving!"**

The World Destroyer then aimed an attack past the Pokémon fighting her, striking Pelame directly and interrupting her Purification. Jirachi was then rendered a Vessel forever.

**"With that in mind, hear my desire!"**

Jirachi then woke up, with a course of action in mind.

"No," he said. "I will hear no more desires! NO MORE!"

Jirachi then teleported away. He contacted Fugon telepathically.

_"Fugon, thanks for being my friend,"_ he said. _"Of all the Pokémon I've met, you, Bidoof, Deoxys, and Pelame are the kindest ones. I hope for your success against The World Destroyer. Goodbye, my friend."_

From the chamber's ceiling, everyone could see into the sky, where Jirachi was enveloped in a strange dark aura. Without warning, the aura exploded, leaving absolutely no trace of him.

"Wh-what just happened?" Fugon asked. "What did Jirachi just do?"

**"Pelame,"** The World Destroyer said, sounding pleased despite losing her wish. **"Looks like you failed to save yet another friend. What a hero you're turning out to be."**

"You mean, Jirachi's…"

**"He's dead. Disappeared, actually. And it's all your fault, Fugon and Pelame. If he'd never met wither of you, he wouldn't have been motivated to take his own life, nor would he have fed me power through his despair. See how dangerous friendship is now?"**

"What do you know about friendship, World Destroyer?!" Fugon demanded.

**"Only that showing it to anyone is a seal of fate. Jirachi met you, and as a result, all of these events happened leading him to his suicide. Today was the final Wish Day in the world's history, and without having to request it, I got my wish; despair, one thing I need to wear the planet's Alpha Guard down to its last legs. Which ironically makes me the kindest figure to have approached him, since I asked him for nothing at all, and getting it through my own work."**

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Celebi screamed with a teary voice. "That's what _I_ would have asked Jirachi for!"

**"See? Not even you could've resisted asking a wish from him. Which actually even makes me kinder than you!"**

Deoxys could tell the situation was getting out of hand, so he teleported everyone away, except the World Destroyer.

* * *

Pelame and Fugon reappeared at, of all places, Treasure Town.

"So, that was The World Destroyer, huh?" he asked. "I think everyone was right when they said she was a monster. I can't believe a creature like her even exists!"

Pelame wasn't listening, having not comprehended anything since Jirachi disappeared in front of her. Tears escaped from her eyes.

"Pelame, what's wrong?" Fugon asked.

"This can't keep happening, but it does," Pelame answered. All of a sudden, she raised her voice and cried out to the heavens. "How many more friends am I going to let down?!"

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

World Destroyer and Mew vs Fugon and Deoxys – Militant Missionary (Sonic Adventure OST)

The Final Bid for the Wish – Andross Brain (Star Fox 64 OST)

The World Destroyer's Lecture – Fifth Laboratory (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)


	13. Chapter 13 - Scraggy's Revenge

Chapter 13 – Scraggy's Revenge

* * *

**"The Alpha Guard protecting the planet is about to fall,"** The World Destroyer said. **"Jirachi's despair gave me the power to knock it down to its last layer, which Votum herself is having trouble keeping up at this point."**

"I heard all about it," Scraggy responded. "I gotta say, even for you, that was…" Scraggy couldn't bring himself to say it.

**"Scraggy? Am I hearing a hint of compassion from you? Do you fail to learn how dangerous a feeling that is?"**

"Oh, no, not at all, my liege. It's just… Jirachi…I kinda…you know. I liked him a little bit. I couldn't even say goodbye to him."

**"You know that's against the Demon-type's ways, Scraggy. Mew, you were to have taught him that."**

"Believe me, I tried to," Mew said. "I don't know why he keeps resisting that idea."

**"Try harder, then! It'll help your standing after that failure of yours back at Jirachi's Comet. Failing to break into Pelame's Alpha Guard was quite a misstep, and to think it was because three of our enemies were enough to hold you back. I really thought I had trained you better than that."**

"But wait!" Mew contested. "What about you? You could hardly get past the rest of them!"

**"And what have I told you about implying that I do ****_anything_**** wrong?! And moreover implying that Pelame can stand in my way?!"**

"I wasn't going to say—"

**"You know, Mew, perhaps I've been too easy on you. Scraggy is evidently not the only one who needs to learn how things are supposed to work. And, seeing as we're all no longer kidding ourselves, I'll say now that whereas Scraggy is too weak, you are too strong."**

Mew and Scraggy were taken aback by that statement. Mew felt a twinge of fear about what that could have meant. Two of The World Destroyer's wings extended out and grasped the two Vessels in front of her. Mew felt some of her power get taken out of her, just as Scraggy felt some power being given to him.

**"There you go. The scales are balanced now. You are both my Ultimate Vessels."**

"But why did you have to give some of my power to him?!" Mew demanded. "Couldn't you have taken it out of a few of the weaker Vessels, or even yourself?!"

**"Well, maybe if you can get back into my good graces, you'll be the best again. But for now, you live with the punishment for disappointing me. Now, disperse, both of you."**

* * *

A group consisting of Strike, Shadow, Bubbles, Blessing, Kelvin, and Magus were traveling down a riverbank.

"I can't feel my butt anymore," Bubbles whined after Shadow was done spanking him as punishment.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you made that lecherous remark at Blessing!" Shadow reprimanded. "Apologize to her!"

"Why? You'll just say I don't mean it."

"Okay, then you're grounded for the rest of today. You are not to leave my shoulders."

Bubbles groaned in frustration at his punishment, as he climbed up to his father's right shoulder. Once he got settled, he rubbed his throbbing behind to try to comfort the mild pain from his spanking.

"Take it from me, kid, you got off easy," Kelvin remarked. "At least compared to me, anyway. Your dad takes it easy on you compared to how my mother used to punish me."

"Oh, youth stories, huh?" Blessing quipped. "I could tell a lot of them, too. I've gotten into so much trouble, both my parents spanked me to my current hip size! And you wonder why I have such a huge behind!"

"Funny memory you have there," Kelvin said skeptically. "I heard you say your hip size is because of your dietary habits."

"Well, yeah, but still, I got spanked a lot."

"You two were apparently rowdy kids, then," Shadow quipped.

"I wasn't," Kelvin defended. "My mom was just easy to upset. From what dad told me, she's always had a short and violent temper."

"Really, now?" Blessing said.

"Yes. Come to think of it…" Kelvin sounded a bit solemn. "I was kinda afraid of her in my childhood. I always liked dad more. I…well…"

"You favorited your father over your mother," Shadow clarified.

"Yeah…" Kelvin reminisced. "Until about a month before Blessing and I met. Of course, mom's still scary when she's angry. But she stopped showing that anger directly at me. I just wish we had worked our problems out eight years ago, before all of this happened."

"You'll do fine," Bubbles said. "Daddy and I get along. Don't we, daddy?"

"Of course we do," Shadow answered. "But you do get on my nerves. But, then again, I embarrass you, right?"

"Yep, you do! I'm blushing already!"

"So is his rear end," Blessing whispered to Kelvin, who at that moment tripped over something.

"Grovyle?" he said. "Where'd you come from?"

No answer came, as Grovyle was unconscious. Kelvin took notice of the small Mortite dagger lodged in his lower back, just above his tail.

"Wait, Kelvin!" Magus said. Kelvin steadied his hand upon his mentor's order. "Mortite shouldn't be immediately pulled out like a Beedrill stinger. Look." Kelvin leaned closer to the object and noticed what Magus was pointing out. "We'll need to regress this crystal to how it was before it grew those thorns. Only then can it be safely removed. This is something that cannot be done without Alpha Power, so this won't be a lesson that's completely new, just a subset of an ability you already know. Use an ability called 'Alpha Regress,' and the thorns will retract back into the blade. Since that crystal is a small one, it will come easy."

"Okay," Kelvin said, getting his Alpha Amulet ready. "Alpha Regress." The Mortite dagger was enveloped in a gold glow, and its thorns retracted back into the blade.

"Pull it out now," Magus coached. "Keep using the ability while you're pulling it out, otherwise the thorns will grow back." Kelvin moved as quickly as he was told to, and the Mortite dagger was safely removed. "Cancel the ability after the dagger leaves your hand," Magus advised. Once Kelvin set the dagger down, he stopped his power, and found out why it was good that he didn't stop while it was in his hand. Immediately upon the power stopping, the thorns immediately grew back out of the dagger.

"Grovie!"

Celebi arrived just as the dagger was disposed of.

"Is he alright?" she asked, clearly worried.

"He is now," Kelvin answered. "I just removed a Mortite dagger from his lower back. I just have to patch the wound up." He then got a bottle of Sitrus Berry Juice out of his toolbox (which by this point was a makeshift First-Aid Kit) and poured a bit of it onto the wound, cleaning it and helping its recovery along. He finished by stitching the wound up with a medical thread Magus had given him.

"Why not use your Alpha Powers to stitch him up?" Bubbles asked.

"It can be dispelled by a Demon-type ability," Magus answered. "The same goes for anyone stitched up by the Demon-type equivalent."

"Hey, he's waking up!" Bubbles cried, almost bouncing off of Shadow's shoulder.

"Oh, Grovie! Thank goodness you're okay!" Celebi cried, embracing Grovyle. She turned back to Kelvin to say, "Thanks for your help! On Grovie's behalf, I'm grateful."

"Good to see you're safe, too, Celebi," Grovyle responded.

"Son, you may leave my shoulder only to make a proper introduction," Shadow said. "By the way, Grovyle, this is my son Bubbles." Bubbles hopped over to Grovyle to shake his hand.

"Hello, Grovyle," he said. "Nice to meet you."

_"Wow,"_ Blessing thought to herself. _"Bubbles acting nice is such a strange sight."_

"Nice to meet you, too, Bubbles," Grovyle responded. Bubbles then immediately returned to Shadow's shoulder to avoid getting into more trouble.

"Sorry about that, Grovyle," Magus said. "My brother grounded Bubbles. Shocking that parenting is the only thing he doesn't take lightly."

"Well, I don't think you'd let your child get away with making a joke about a lady's hip size, either," Shadow said. "Besides which, you don't even have any kids!"

Bubbles saw an opportunity to add to the jabbing, but decided not to in order to keep on his father's good side.

"Of course, he can joke about my hips as much as he likes," Blessing said. "After all, I'm the most beautiful one here."

"Too bad no one else except myself can see it," Kelvin joked. Blessing lightly glared at Kelvin, as if to sarcastically say _"Good one."_

* * *

"She did WHAT?!" Keldeo cried, not responding well to the summary of the events of Wish Day.

"As much as I hate to think this," Dusknoir added. "That's the last we'll see of Deoxys as well. The World Destroyer was unquestionably victorious that day."

"Come to think of it," Vand added. "I did feel the planet shield weakening. I don't think it can take much more. We need to reach the Alpha Sanctuary and soon!"

"I agree!" Keldeo said. "And I can't wait to stick my Sacred Sword right into that monster's heart! Of course, assuming she even has one, but still!"

"My goodness, Keldeo!" Virizion said, taken aback. "I've never heard you talk like this before!"

"Well, Virizion, I can't help it! Hearing what she did to Jirachi, I just… it… can't… AAAAHHHHHHH…!"

To Virizion's shock, Keldeo unleashed his Sacred Sword and sliced a nearby tree in half.

"Keldeo, calm down!" Virizion ordered. "If The World Destroyer is as intuitive as Dusknoir described, then this is exactly what she wants you to do!"

"Well, how can I _NOT_ get angry at her, huh?!"

"I know, Keldeo. I'm mad at her, too. But we have to keep our emotions in check. Otherwise, our enemies will use them against us."

"I agree with Virizion, hmm?" Quagsire said. "As upsetting as Jirachi's undoing is, we, hmm, need to keep clear heads."

"Yeah! Otherwise, I'll win!"

A volley of dark energy orbs struck everyone down. Scraggy appeared and ran toward Quagsire.

"Who's fearing who now?!" he demanded. Before resuming his attack, he took a moment to deal with the only one who stood a chance against him.

"Lethargy!" he said, inflicting the curse on Vand, who couldn't avoid it this time. "All right, now that you're out of the way…" He kicked Vand out of the way and cursed the others. After that, he returned his focus on Quagsire. "No one's saving you now, tough guy! Dark Whip!"

Quagsire was barely able to dodge each lash of the whip. All except the last lash missed him. The last that did hit him hit his back, greatly slowing him down.

_"Where is all this power coming from?"_ Vand asked himself, having awakened only to find himself unable to move. _"He wasn't like this before."_

"You haven't even begun fighting me yet!" Scraggy gloated. "Are you just gonna take it like a wimp?"

"Mud Shot!" Quagsire shouted, finally retaliating. Scraggy was quick, and deflected the attack. Though slowed, Quagsire was still able to dodge his own backfiring attack.

"Heart Stopper!" Scraggy shot Quagsire with a lightning blast. Being Demon-type allowed the attack to work on Quagsire, whereas normal Electric attacks would have failed. Unable to move, Quagsire was at Scraggy's mercy. Scraggy attacked with another Heart Stopper attack. He then approached his fallen foe, grasping a small Mortite dagger.

"…Scraggy… don't," Vand pleaded.

Scraggy brought the knife to Quagsire's chest and then dropped it on purpose. He then backed off.

"Well, I'm satisfied now," he gloated. "NOW who's the tough guy?! Oh, yes, it's me! That's what you get for punishing me so long ago! Now you feel the pain I felt! But now that you're beaten, I have nothing more to do here. See you later, you pathetic has-been!"

Just as Scraggy was about to teleport away, something stopped him.

**"Have you really accomplished your revenge?"** The World Destroyer asked, speaking directly to Scraggy's mind. **"Quagsire still lives. You haven't accomplished anything yet. Finish him."**

Scraggy seemed to be struggling to leave the scene. The World Destroyer wasn't letting him go anywhere.

"But… I don't want Quagsire to…" Scraggy protested weakly.

**"Actually, you do!"**

Something strange happened to Scraggy. He felt as if he was being controlled. His body moved itself forward against his wishes and threw a Mortite dagger at Quagsire, impaling his left leg. He then made another dagger and aimed at his target's chest. He then threw the knife. Something blocked it, though, sparing Quagsire a painful death. From behind, Vand was protecting Quagsire. He then tossed his Alpha Amulet at Scraggy.

"Alpha Warp!" The Amulet teleported Scraggy away somewhere. "Alpha Summon!" The Amulet then returned to Vand, who then reversed the Lethargy curse on himself and the others. He went over to Quagsire to try to help him.

"Scraggy… he never wanted to kill me after all," Quagsire said, sounding relieved for some reason. "You need to save him, Vand! You are the only one who can, hmm!"

"I will!" Vand responded. "But we need to save you first! Just hold on!"

* * *

In an empty field, Scraggy appeared, having been teleported away by Vand.

"Oh, thank goodness for that," he said to no one in particular. "I might have killed Quagsire by accident! But still…"

Scraggy was shocked at what he ended up doing to Quagsire before he was stopped. He would probably limp for the rest of his life. "…Oh, Quagsire… I didn't want this! I just wanted you to be afraid of me! I never wanted you dead!"

As he was lamenting, something started to happen to him. His entire body started to glow, and he began to change shape. He grew a bit taller, and grew a red headpiece. To his shock, his skirmish with Quagsire had given him a bit of experience. He had evolved into a Scrafty, though he never wanted that to happen under such drastic circumstances.

**"Revenge is what you have always wanted to get on Quagsire," **The World Destroyer said. **"The next chance you get at accomplishing it will not be passed up. You're mine now, Scrafty."**


	14. Chapter 14 - Disappear

Chapter 14 – Disappear

* * *

It felt as though the incident at Jirachi's Comet was only a nanosecond ago, when it was really just over one hour ago. It had also been a total of about two-and-a-half months since she had left Pokémon Paradise, yet it seemed to Pelame that hardly anything got done in that time. She might as well have just stayed in Paradise.

_"I left Paradise, hoping to reintroduce peace to its residents,"_ she thought to herself. _"And then it gets attacked, losing almost all of the population."_

Fugon never knew whether or not he should speak. From his perspective, it looked as though Pelame's good mood and high spirits died with Jirachi.

_"And then, Jirachi blows himself up after I failed to Purify him."_

Pelame's spirits fell even further when she bumped into something she hoped never to see. It was a small grey headstone.

It read: "In memory of Torkoal, Treasure Town's eldest and wisest figure." Under the inscription, there was another message that appeared to have been scratched in by a vandal. That part read: "May he never annoy us again."

Just great. Now Torkoal had died, too. She hoped his death was a natural one, though in a world in the shape it currently was, no one was allowed such a peaceful fate. Fugon read the headstone and understood her distress.

_"Torkoal is in a better place now,"_ Fugon thought to himself. He went forward and hugged Pelame, who began to cry.

"At least he won't have to suffer anymore," Fugon said, trying to comfort Pelame. Suddenly, something in Pelame snapped. She stopped crying, and she stood up tall.

"No one else will," she said as boldly as she could. "No one else will die. NO. ONE." She then ran up to where the Wigglytuff Guild once stood and shouted out to the world. "YOU HEAR ME, WORLD DESTROYER?! YOU'RE NOT KILLING **_ANYONE_** ELSE WHILE I'M AROUND!"

"Pelame, maybe you should quiet down," Fugon suggested, catching up to her. "The World Destroyer could be listening. Listen, let's just make our way to the Alpha Sanctuary, shall we? Look how close we are to it." He pointed to the Alpha Beacon in the sky. It had never been so close before.

"You're right, Fugon," Pelame responded. "We're almost there."

Fugon then lowered his body to the ground. "I'll fly you as close as I can there," he said, beckoning Pelame to climb onto his back. "Don't worry, I can carry you. It won't be a problem for me. Besides, you could use some rest. My mane should warm you up, too."

"If you say so," Pelame answered, climbing onto Fugon's back and settling herself in his mane. "Thanks, Fugon."

"And don't worry. I won't drop you. And even if you do somehow fall off of me, I'll swoop right down and catch you. I may not be the most confident Pokémon around, but I'm at least an extremely skilled flier. Now, hold on. We're taking off!" With a jump and a flap of his wings, Fugon was immediately pulled down by his tail, which was still in its Iron Tail form. Even though Pelame had reversed the curse, its effects had been delayed. At this point, only the latter half of Fugon's tail (from the middle to the tip) was still iron, making it possible for him to at least move it around. But it did still weigh him down, meaning he wouldn't be able to fly after all. "Wish I remembered about that," he grumbled. Pelame climbed back off of his back. With her Alpha Powers, she found the entrance to the Guild.

"We'll stay in here for tonight," Pelame said. "The entrance collapsed, but the rest of the Guild is still standing." She entered the Guild, with Fugon following her. "This way." She entered her old Crew Room, then noticed Fugon wasn't following her.

"Pelame, I'm stuck!" he called. "My tail got caught in the ladder," he told her, explaining why he was hanging upside-down by his tail. One of the two barbs on his tail had dug itself into one of the ladder's rungs. "I slipped."

It hardly took a second for Pelame to free Fugon, who then fell and landed on his back. Pelame came down much more gracefully. "Thanks," he said. "Now, where are we spending the night?"

"Over here," Pelame answered. Leading Fugon to her old Crew Room. "This room was where Pugno and I slept at the end of each day, back when we trained here at the Wigglytuff Guild."

"So, this was like a home to you, then?"

"While we were training here, we did call this place home. But now, nowhere is home. Of course, being here now…" Fugon was shocked at the sight of Pelame smiling. "…it's like being home again." Her smile then disappeared. "But, without Pugno here, it's a bit…"

"Empty?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's comforting having you here beside me, Fugon. It's just…"

"You miss your dearest friend."

"Exactly. I know he's out there somewhere, but I can't help worrying about him."

"I'm sure he misses you, too. But I think he'll manage. I heard about your old adventures, and I must say that you two sounded like you were quite the adventurers back then. You two evidently made each other strong, so I don't think Pugno's going down so easily." He put his hand on Pelame's shoulder and smiled at her. "You'll find him. I guarantee it."

"I know. And then, I'll save the world."

"I have faith that you'll succeed. But for now, we should get some sleep. We'll need to be in top shape for tomorrow. It'll be a long day."

Pelame agreed with that, and put up a stack of Alpha Guards around the Guild, protecting them both for the night. The two were quick to fall asleep, huddling up to one another for warmth.

* * *

"You know, I wonder how my mom is doing," Strike said.

"You miss her, huh?" Bubbles asked. "What's your mom like?"

"Oh, she's wonderful! The best Pokémon alive! And also the best mother in the entire history of mothers!"

"You're lucky, Strike. I never knew my mom." At that, Shadow cut in.

"Bubbles, what have I told you about that topic?" He reprimanded.

"Never talk about it," Bubbles answered solemnly.

"Why not, if you don't mind me asking?" Kelvin asked. "What is it, Magus?" Kelvin had taken note of Magus making the "cut it out" gesture a bit too late.

"I don't want to dwell on it," Shadow answered.

"It's not a comfortable topic for him," Magus also answered.

It sounded like a family problem, which Kelvin never liked having any of. He decided to leave his questions at that.

"You know, out of all of us, you must have the least interesting childhood out of all of us," Blessing said. "But I guess it's good you had a normal life in a normal family."

"Yeah," Strike agreed. "Though it really doesn't make me a good choice to tell family stories around a campfire, does it?"

The group soon happened upon a peaceful clearing.

"Well, once we get camp set up, we'll find out," Shadow deadpanned. "All right, time to get to work, all of you."

"Oh, no you don't, Shadow," Magus chastised. "You're not playing the lazy foreman this time. You're chipping in."

"But my son's not to leave my shoulders. He'll have to help, too. You're not going to make a child labor like this, are you?"

"Nice try, Shadow. Don't act like there's no such thing as a 'time-out' area."

"Not here there isn't…"

"Then make one up. How about with Grovyle? He can take care of Bubbles."

"Yeah, daddy!" Bubbles piped up. "I wanna stay with Grovyle!"

"Fine, then. But Grovyle will tell me how you've been behaving. If he tells me something I don't like, you'll be punished again. Grovyle, do _not_ let him out of your sight!"

"Understood, Shadow," Grovyle agreed, allowing Bubbles a seat next to where he was lying down. Shadow then begrudgingly helped the others build a tent.

"Grovyle, why are you lying down on your belly?" Bubbles asked innocently.

"I can't stay seated for long," Grovyle answered. "It hurts my back. I haven't fully recovered from Mew's attack yet."

"Oh, yeah! That sharp thing that Kelvin took out of you!" He noticed the stitched wound near Grovyle's tail. "That had to hurt! But you'll be okay now! Uncle Magus turned Kelvin into a great healer, didn't he?"

"Yes he did. Kelvin's even caught up to Celebi when it comes to healing."

"Heh, yeah, I can agree with that," Celebi said, taking no offense to Grovyle's comment.

Within minutes, the tent was set up and open for the travelers to enter it. A tiring and stressful day like this one warranted a good night's sleep, which the group entered after getting settled. About five hours into the night, a Dimensional Hole opened up beneath Grovyle, swallowing him up and then closing itself before anyone could awaken and follow him.

* * *

Grovyle awakened to find himself in a familiar place. Only once had he been here, and that was when he was on a mission to keep time from collapsing. Those were the old days, back when Dusknoir was an enemy, and he and his two companions were unaware of the dark truth behind the ghost's servitude. Somehow, he had ended up in the Hidden Land, which apparently became part of the real world, moved from its original location in a time gap. Despite that, Temporal Tower was nowhere to be found. He could tell something had happened here. Though it had been about nine years since it had been destroyed by The World Destroyer (and also by Palkia killing the fiend by detonating the entire location it was hidden in), it should have regained its population in that time. It was still empty, and the temple looked burnt. Though he was safe being nowhere near any Demon-types, Grovyle couldn't help but be unsettled by the complete absence of life from this place. Though no Demon-types were near, such an unsettling atmosphere could invite an ambush from one hiding out somewhere. He entered the old ruins that formed the way to the old Rainbow Stoneship. Inside, he saw the runes of the world's legendary figures, including one he had heard mention of before. On the rune depicting a human-like figure with eight feathered wings with an Alpha Sigil on her white robe, there was an inscription.

"Votum, the Spirit of Hope and Faith," it read.

_"The beacon of the world's Hope and Faith,"_ Grovyle remembered.

Grovyle had never seen this rune before, and the same held true for the rune adjacent to it. The opposite rune depicted a figure that was unfortunately familiar to him. It was definitely The World Destroyer, but in a more advanced form than what he last clearly saw of her. He remembered her having one wing, but the rune showed her having eight. On her garb was a snowflake-shaped sigil, which he remembered seeing. Her eyes were dark orange with yellow pupils, and a thorned javelin-shaped horn grew out of her forehead.

_"Under that dark aura that surrounds her at all times…" _Grovyle thought to himself. _"Is this the form she's currently taking?"_

The inscription on the rune read, "Unod, the Spirit of Despair, Doubt, and the End of Existence." Grovyle took special care not to read it aloud, knowing what would happen if he spoke the fiend's name. In the middle of the hall, another inscription was carved into the floor. It read:

"To those who find this, I regret to impart this news. My own flesh and blood has forsaken every part of herself that makes her noble. She has found the wrong path, and has gone as far down it as one can possibly go. She has disposed of many of her fellow spirits and usurped their occupations and their powers, and by mixing them together, has come up with a means to successfully oppose Arceus and everything he has built. If she is not stopped, she will go through with the destruction of existence. Therefore, I am cooperating with Arceus in the development of a special sacred power that can oppose my daughter's malice. We are calling it the Alpha-type. Once we finish it, we will be imparting this power to the two mortals who have not defected to my daughter's side, with the hopes that this opposition will be stopped before a war breaks out. It is my desire for a peaceful world, and though it pains me to admit, my daughter will have to disappear in order for that to be possible. But it will not be an easy task. I know how intuitive and resourceful my daughter is. The Alpha Bloodline alone will not be enough. The only way for this conflict to truly end is…"

Before Grovyle could finish reading the inscription, it disappeared, as did all of the runes in the hall. He was then snatched up by a whip made of evil energy. A hand clasped his mouth shut.

**"Quite the history student, aren't you?"** The World Destroyer said. **"Your original fields of study were Time Gears, the Hidden Land, Temporal Tower, and Dialga, right? But now that time flows again, you needed something else to study up on. How lucky you chose my old residence to read up on. My old residence: Paradise. And don't think I mean those shabby boondocks founded by that idealistic fool, Vand. The Paradise I once was foolish enough to call home was the place all who die hope to go upon their Judgment. Arceus's Divine Kingdom. Honestly, I thought I did a better job hiding that away from these ruins. But, I think I did it right before. After all, Pelame and Dusknoir failed to notice it when they were last here."**

Grovyle was able to break from the fiend's hold and assume a fighting stance. "You can't always hide the truth!" he declared. "I now know what you are, and how you got to be what you are! Not only that, I know that you and Votum are related!" He then tossed an Energy Ball at the fiend. She brought Dusknoir out in front of herself and used his body to block the attack.

**"He does now, too! And he's finding out exactly what I have the power to do to those who annoy me the most!"**

"Grovyle, run!" Dusknoir ordered. Grovyle was snatched up again before he could follow Dusknoir's order.

**"And now, someone else will see my true power. And I know the both of you know who it will be."**

The World Destroyer froze the two Pokémon in Mortite and teleported away with them both in tow.

* * *

"Good morning, Pelame," Fugon said.

"Good morning, Pugno," Pelame responded.

"Pugno? We haven't found him yet."

"Oh!" Pelame realized her slip-up. "Sorry, Fugon. Being here in the Guild reminded me of waking up with Pugno next to me. Just a force of habit. We should get going now."

"Lead the way."

The two left the Guild and began on their way. Travel was easier for Fugon, since his tail had finally gone back to being flesh and blood, rather than steel. This gave him an idea.

"I can finally fly again," he said. "Get on my back. We'll fly to the Alpha Sanctuary together!"

Pelame got on and settled in Fugon's mane. With a jump and a flap of his wings, Fugon took off and was in flight. They encountered no trouble until they got to another continent, in an area of it that was even closer to the Alpha Beacon. Fugon was attacked by a Demon-type attack that was very well-aimed. It came too fast for Pelame to block and the two were headed for the ground. Pelame fell off of Fugon's back, and Fugon was dragged away by Evil Threads before he could try to catch her. He crash-landed somewhere far away, and Pelame made a hard landing herself.

_"Fugon, please be okay,"_ Pelame lamented to herself. She struggled to her feet and continued on her way, making a detour to try to locate Fugon, wherever he was.

_"Please, _please_, be okay!"_ Pelame pleaded in her mind. _"If I lost another friend, I'd…"_ A tear started to form in her eye. She managed to stifle it and continue on.

Suddenly, Pelame bumped into Grovyle, who was frozen in Mortite. Frightened, she backed away and bumped into Dusknoir, who was also frozen. Seeing the fearful expressions preserved in their frozen faces struck her heart. She rushed forward to catch Dusknoir as soon as his frozen form toppled over.

**"Didn't you promise that this sort of thing would quit happening?"** The World Destroyer taunted, standing over Pelame. She knelt down and placed a hand on the back of the frozen Dusknoir's head, pushing down and pinning Pelame where she stood. **"After Jirachi's untimely passing, it really looked like you were well on your way to getting better at keeping your friends alive. And then Grovyle and Dusknoir get encased in Mortite, with you being helpless to rescue them. Really shows how much you can be trusted, despite that bold announcement you made to the world yesterday at the top of your lungs. Fugon was right, I was listening. And now look what happened to him; shot down and dragged off to his doom. Less than a day, and you already broke your promise."**

Being reminded of Jirachi and now Fugon touched a nerve in Pelame. She found the strength to push back. "I _can_ save my friends," she said. "I'm not letting you kill these two!"

**"So, you ****_do_**** value them? Now, tell me how that can be. Aren't these two involved in some of your life's darkest moments? Remind me who it was who came close to spilling your blood in front of Pugno and Azelf, because, as much as I would have liked it to have been me, it wasn't me."**

_"This is all for the Time Gear!"_ Pelame remembered Grovyle saying. _"Forgive me!"_

**"You really shouldn't have forgiven him for that. No one should forgive an attempt on one's life, not even if it comes from a friend. And on that note, what about this tool in my hand? Is his lies to gain the trust of you, Pugno, the Guild, and the Treasure Town Police, attempt to have you executed, hand in the planet's paralysis, crushing of Grovyle's spirit, subsequent attempt to kill you and your friends, and plan to make Grovyle his own personal vessel and kill you and all who are precious to you in his body really excused? And only on the grounds of who was pulling his strings?"**

_"With the both of you here,"_ Pelame's memory of Dusknoir's words on that day crept back into her mind. _"Everything will end when we finally dispose of you. That will finally put an end to Grovyle's glimmer of hope!"_

**"Such a saint you are, to somehow be able to forgive such a complete monster like Dusknoir. A figure of such malice that he brought out a rage in you the likes of which even I have been hard-pressed to reawaken!"**

_"The Guild's crew decided to trust you to help us," _Pelame remembered herself saying to Dusknoir. _"And I promised Grovyle to give you a chance as well. Today will be that day, so I suggest you don't do anything that makes me think I'm right in believing that you're up to something. Because if you do, then I can't be held responsible for what I'll do to you in response. Do I make myself clear?"_

**"A tool of Primal Dialga's, bent on dooming time to stop, all because of a selfish desire to stay alive, in blatant disregard to the fact that he clearly didn't deserve it. If he ever deserved his life before, he threw his right away with his actions in those times where Team Space-Time was a fledgling Team. So, my decision is made. He disappears first!"**

A dark power coated The World Destroyer's right arm and enveloped Dusknoir, slowly turning him as pitch-black as the energy she was exuding. Suddenly, she stopped.

**"Or maybe it should be someone you really ****_do_**** care about. Grovyle's spirit always was too bright for its own good, so it's about time that light went out!"** She lunged toward Grovyle, but stopped short of reaching him. Facing Pelame, she asked, **"But I'll go with your preference, which is whom again?"** The frozen forms of Grovyle and Dusknoir were magically lifted and brought in front of her. **"The idealistic but murderous criminal, or the tool of all evil? One of them will walk away alive, and have you to thank for it. The other will get exactly what's coming to him. So, tell me who you never want to see again."**

"That's a really easy choice, World Destroyer," Pelame responded. "The one I never want to see again, IS YOU!" With those last two words, she let loose with an Alpha Beam. Unfortunately, this was what the fiend was hoping for. She deflected the beam easily and knocked over both Grovyle and Dusknoir, causing them to fall on Pelame. As she struggled to get free of the two, The World Destroyer grasped her by the neck and pulled her out.

**"An appropriate response, opting to attempt yet another rescue you couldn't hope to succeed at. But I couldn't agree with your statement more. ****_YOU_**** are the one ****_I_**** never want to see again!"** The dark energy that was enveloping Dusknoir started enveloping Pelame. As the energy coated her, she felt her spirit being horribly assaulted. She felt as if her very existence was being torn apart. It was the most painful experience of her life; so painful, that even if she could scream in agony, it wouldn't convey the pain she was in. **"And now, I won't. Your value of life stopped at yourself, so you should have no problem with this at all. But the world certainly will! You will disappear, and the world will follow you!"**

No matter how much she tried to struggle against it, Pelame couldn't escape this attack that was slowly but surely killing her. Soon, her struggling stopped completely just as her body turned into a shadowy mass in her own shape. The World Destroyer tossed Pelame's shadowy form into the air, and she clenched her darkness-coated fist, ready to deliver the final blow. Pelame came falling back down as the fiend drew back her fist and brought it forward.

An Alpha Guard appeared in front of Pelame, blocking the fiend's finishing blow. When she turned to find the source, an expertly-timed Alpha Flash blinded her. Finally, she was knocked over by an Alpha Beam from Bubbles.

"Take that, butt-head!" he taunted. He climbed back onto Lugia's back. Lugia loaded Grovyle and Dusknoir onto his back and took off as soon as Vand climbed up with Pelame in his hands. Grovyle and Dusknoir were immediately defrosted by Vand.

"Excellent timing, Vand!" Dusknoir congratulated. "That Alpha Guard saved us all."

"And don't forget Bubbles's Alpha Flash and Alpha Beam combination," Grovyle said. "You both did great! How did you ever manage to find us?"

"Oh, that's easy," Vand answered. "Votum came and got us. She brought Lugia with her, and we came here to rescue you all. She's waiting at a tent Magus and the others set up. Everyone's there, and that's where we're headed."

"So things have finally warranted intervention from the one herself," Grovyle said. He then remembered something. "I found out something about Votum and The World Destroyer everyone needs to hear about."

"You mean how she's chasing us?" Bubbles said. "Because she is!"

A Demon Orb barely missing Lugia indicated that they were indeed being chased. Barely missing her chance to kill Pelame for good served to tick her off something fierce. It had been a while since she had acted this murderously.

"Energy Ball!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Grovyle and Dusknoir teamed their attacks up, but unfortunately to no avail. Vand brought up an Alpha Guard just in time to block a laser shot aimed at Lugia's head, but the Guard was broken by all eight of her wings forming a drill and boring down on the Guard.

"Hold on tight, everyone!" Lugia ordered. "I'm getting us to the refuge spot at full speed!" Lugia tucked his darker blue feathers into his back and took off like a rocket. Not even this was enough to keep The World Destroyer from pursuing them, as she came forth with an especially devastating ability Grovyle and Dusknoir were hoping never to see her use again. A snowflake sigil appeared in front of the fiend, and began charging up. One look at the sigil brought back a horrible memory of Vand's.

"Vand, what's wrong?!" Bubbles asked.

"BITTERCOLD!" he suddenly screamed. "THAT SIGIL IS THE BITTERCOLD!"

"Lugia, dodge!" Grovyle ordered. But Lugia knew that he'd never dodge the attack from where he was, and judging by how big it was going to be. He did a barrel-roll to shake everyone off his back and rescue them from the Death Sentence Beam, which was fired at that moment. "Votum, it's up to you now," were his final words. The shot hit him directly and instantly killed him. His corpse disintegrated into nothingness upon contact. As if on cue, Votum appeared and spirited the survivors into the area protected by the strongest Alpha Guard yet. She unleashed an Alpha Beam that hit The World Destroyer directly and entered the refuge area. As soon as they were all inside, Votum, Kelvin, and Magus saw to Pelame, who was still in a shadowy form.

"Magus, Kelvin, it's time for you to learn the ultimate healing technique," Votum said. "It's called 'Spirit Healing.' And Pelame requires it now."

"You know, I've been wanting to know about that," Blessing said. "What's with her and the Vessels constantly saying 'disappear' instead of 'die?'"

"I'm afraid there's a _very_ good reason for that," Votum answered, getting started on healing Pelame. "Death is when life ends, and upon death, the soul leaves the body and ascends to the afterlife. Even if one dies, their existence still goes on, but if they disappear, then they don't. Disappearing is the most completely thorough form of death there is. It destroys the body and the soul, the entire existence of the victim. The victim literally disappears off the face of existence. It's a power that only Arceus has the power to use, but he never has used. The World Destroyer also has that ability, which she gained upon usurping her fellow spirits' jobs after killing them."

"Wait a minute," Blessing said. "She can kill other spirits, and _has_ before?! She really is low enough to kill even her own kind, huh?!"

"Yes, she can. But for the time being, we're safe from her. My attack on her should put her out of commission for at least three months, which should give Pelame the time to fully recover. A lot of damage was done to her spirit, and even my healing powers couldn't instantly awaken her."

"At least now we know how to do it," Kelvin said. "I only witnessed it, but I'm assuming we have to go into her spirit and find the one fragment of it that's still holding on, and heal it."

"Exactly," Votum clarified. "Then over time, her spirit will rebuild itself. She'll be as good as new in three months. Remember this, because now that The World Destroyer can use that Disappear ability again, she's going to make another attempt."

"Votum, I was at the Hidden Land earlier today," Grovyle said. "And I found runes depicting you and her, and an inscription about what you knew she was up to. It also mentioned a relationship between you and her."

"You are correct, Grovyle. The World Destroyer is my daughter."

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter

Hidden Land – Hidden Land (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky OST)

Prophecy – Hidden Highland (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon – Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky OST)

Unod gives Chase – Broomsticks and Fire (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 OST)


	15. Chapter 15 - An Impromptu Vacation

**A/N: For this chapter, I'll be trying out a slice-of-life approach focusing on a few of the characters. Don't worry; the next chapter will get things on track again. That said, this was quite a fun one to write.**

* * *

Chapter 15 – An Impromptu Vacation

* * *

_Special Episode 1 – An Expected Reaction_

* * *

"NO!" Blessing, Keldeo, and Celebi shouted in unison in response to Votum's revelation. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Hey, keep it down!" Kelvin said.

"Oh, like Pelame can actually hear us!" Celebi retorted. Upon realizing the insensitivity of her statement, Celebi redacted. "Sorry, Votum."

"It's fine, Celebi," Votum said.

"But really, HOW CAN YOU BE HER MOTHER?" Keldeo asked. "You're the kindest spirit ever, and yet your daughter is… well… seriously, HOW?!"

"Yeah, I gotta agree with Keldeo here," Blessing added. "I mean, you, the kindest spirit ever, are the mother of the most evil thing that ever lived. It couldn't be any mistakes you made raising her. I will not believe you were anything but the best mother ever. Better than even Strike's mom!" She quickly turned over to Strike and whispered, "No offense."

"It's possible, I'm afraid," Votum said. "Neither my husband nor I ever abused her or did anything to make her want to choose her course in life. She chose her course in life herself, though it could have to do with the disrespect she always had for Arceus."

"Disrespect for Arceus?" Blessing said. "Somehow, I totally expected that."

"But I can't remember anything else about her youth, though. She made the whole world forget about her when she was defeated the first time."

"And also when she went down again when Palkia killed her," Celebi added.

"Yes," Votum continued. "The memories all returned the moment she rose again in her current form, but they're all scrambled and scattered among her old Vessels, some of which are dead now. However, there is still hope. There was a special Frism made that preserved the memories of that dark time. The power to activate it has been trusted to one named Kyurem."

"Would this be that Frism?" Vand asked, showing Votum the Frism he kept with him.

"Yes, it is. Kyurem will unlock its vision. Take it to him once Pelame has recovered."

"I will. Thanks, Votum."

"You know, it's been a long day for all of us," Keldeo said. "And I think I made my voice hoarse."

Kelvin covered Blessing's mouth before she could make a bad joke.

"Let's all get some sleep."

Following Keldeo's suggestion, everyone went off to bed and got to sleep.

* * *

_Special Episode 2 – Bubbles's Sadness_

* * *

The next day, everyone had gotten everything ready for an extended stay in their current quarters. The Alpha Guard was expanded a few square yards, which annexed the end of the river, making for a decent bathing and swimming area. Trees were also annexed, providing food for the travelers. Since there was a wide variety of berries growing on them, they also doubled as sources of medical supplies for Magus and Kelvin. The adults had even built a small playground for the children to play at. Vand, Emolga, Dunsparce, and Strike were constantly playing games there. Bubbles, the youngest of the children, was conspicuously missing, however. It was baffling, being as Shadow only helped once Magus told him that the boy would be playing there, too. Alas, he wasn't.

"Just a sec," Vand called back to Emolga, who was about to go down the slide while standing on his head. "I'm gonna go get Bubbles." Vand entered the house and called for Bubbles. He heard no response from him, though he heard a noise that sounded like crying. Bubbles had been the first in bed last night, and the adults were still asleep, leaving Vand to be the only one to see what was up. He entered the room, and found Bubbles still in his bed, crying into his pillow. On the side of the bed was a crude drawing of Lugia. Vand understood immediately. He climbed up to the bed and sat beside Bubbles.

"I miss Lugia, too," Vand said. "I didn't know him for long, but he seemed like a loyal friend. He seemed like he was ready to serve Votum and the Alpha Bloodline at any cost. He died doing what he swore to do; get us all to this safe spot."

"It's still not fair!" Bubbles sobbed. "He was so awesome! He was the coolest Pokémon ever, and The World Destroyer killed him so quickly! I hate her! I wanna kill her!"

"Believe me, Bubbles, I hate her, too. But we have to trust Pelame with the job of defeating The World Destroyer. Lugia died knowing that Pelame must make it to the Alpha Sanctuary, and he helped in that mission. Let's remember Lugia as the loyal figure he was. Let's remember him as the one who saved us when The World Destroyer fired her Death Sentence beam at us."

"I'm trying to, but I… I…" Bubbles lost it at that moment and broke out wailing. Vand couldn't hide his own sadness over Lugia's death any longer, and burst into tears himself. The two embraced each other as they cried their eyes out. After about five minutes, their tears ran out, and they resumed talking.

"We'll get her for this," Vand said. "I promise."

"I hope so," Bubbles responded.

"Look, let's just focus on taking it easy for now. In three months, Pelame will be recovered, and we can finally reach the Alpha Sanctuary. Look how close we are to it." Vand pointed out the window at the Alpha Beacon. "We're that close to victory."

"You're right. Lugia will be happy to see Pelame win. Thanks, Vand. I wanna go play now."

"Then let's go join Emolga and Dunsparce. We're ready to fool around on the playground. Race me there?"

"Of course! Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!"

The two took off for the playground and joined up with Emolga.

Later that night, Vand visited Bubbles in his bedroom.

"Hey there," he said softly. "I have a present for you." He gave a wrapped box to Bubbles, who unwrapped it ecstatically.

"How'd you know today's my birthday?" he asked.

"Your dad told me, so I had my friend Gurdurr sculpt something for you."

As soon as Bubbles opened the box, the item inside brought him to tears. Except, this time, he was crying out of happiness and gratitude. It was a miniature figurine of Lugia made out of stone. On the base it stood on, there was an inscription. It read, "Have Hope and Faith." Bubbles embraced Vand in a tight hug.

"Oh, Vand, it's the perfect gift!" he said. "Thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou! You're the best friend ever!"

"You're welcome, Bubbles," Vand said. "Happy Birthday."

* * *

_Special Episode 3 – The Campfire_

* * *

Later that night, Kelvin, Blessing, Strike, and Zircon were roasting Tamato Berries and Red Gummis over a fire outside near the playground. Zircon had taken a while to catch up with the group, having not seen them for weeks. He had come in with Fugon, who was perfectly fine despite his crash-landing. While the adults dined inside and watched over Pelame, this group of four dined outside and swapped stories. Here's their night in full.

"Wow, you really are unable to smile?" Strike asked. "How is that even possible?"

"I've just never been that happy lately," Zircon clarified. "Or ever, actually. I just find happiness to be a foreign concept beyond my understanding."

"Well, I guess our group now has the obligatory stick-in-the-mud member," Blessing joked. "Not even I dragged everyone's mood down every chance I got."

"Hey, I don't do that on purpose! Just because I'm never happy doesn't mean I try to ruin everyone's mood!"

"Yeah, Blessing, that was low!" Strike chastised.

"All right, all right! Jeez!" Blessing said. "Sorry, Zircon."

"It's fine. It's good to have a sense of humor, anyway. It lifts the mood in these dark times. And I really am sorry I can't laugh at your jokes, even though I admit you're very funny."

"Oh, you haven't even _begun_ to reveal my humor! Here's a good one: what does a straw in a cup of Oran Berry Juice and Mew have in common?"

Everyone leaned forward to hear the punchline.

"They both suck!"

"No offense, Blessing," Strike said. "But that one was pretty bad."

"So's your peanut gallery-ing."

"Nice recovery!" Kelvin complimented.

"But I didn't even drink Oran Berry Juice today! Emolga swiped it!"

At that one, everyone except Zircon started laughing. Zircon settled for clapping.

"Mom always did say I was the funniest member of my family," Blessing said. "And the most sarcastic."

"I think my mom would have hated it if I joked around like that," Strike said. "She never did approve of sarcasm."

"You know, Strike, we never did hear much about your mom. I mean, was your life really _that_ uninteresting?"

"Whoa, Blessing! Cool it!" Kelvin chastised.

"It kinda was," Strike answered. "I was just a normal kid growing up in the world of Pokémon. I never got into much danger. Honestly, I grew up wanting some excitement, but now I have too much of it."

"Well, that's not a good thing. My sister wanted excitement." Kelvin braced himself. He knew exactly what was coming. "She wanted to be an Explorer, and… well…"

"Her sister died," Kelvin said, shocking everyone.

"Kelvin! I was about to get to that part!"

"Sorry, Blessing. I just thought it would be painful for you to bring up."

"You don't think I'm over it?"

"Hey, cool it, you two!" Zircon said. "There's no need to be at each others' throats! I mean, how did we get to this from talking about our moms?!"

"I get the feeling Blessing might be jealous of normal family lives," Strike guessed.

"WHAT?! Nonsense! I'm not jealous! I had a good mother!" Blessing defended a bit too passionately.

"So did I!"

"Okay, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kelvin screamed.

"Kelvin, don't butt into this! You didn't have a good mother!" Blessing retorted.

"…Pardon me?" Kelvin said, calmly hiding his fury.

"Yeah, your mom scared you when you were young! Why else would Fahrenheit be your favorite?! Why, I'm surprised you even looked at Celsius, but I'm not surprised you talk to Fahrenheit more! Face it, Kelvin. Celsius is a bad mother, and you're a bad son!"

Kelvin stood there, glaring at Blessing. Blessing was glaring right back. Neither said a word, and even Strike and Zircon had gone silent. After about a minute of intense silence, Kelvin dropped the ball.

"Blessing, it's over," he said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Blessing demanded.

"Our relationship! It's over! It's all over!" Kelvin then stormed off, entering the house.

"Yeah? Well… screw you, anyway! You were a bad boyfriend, too! I should've left you at the bottom of that tide pool!" Blessing shouted in Kelvin's direction, displaying an offensive gesture with her claws. Strike and Zircon were shocked at the entire scene that unfolded before them. Blessing then decided to turn it for the night, never wanting to admit how heartbroken she was over the breakup.

* * *

_Special Episode 4 – Kelvin's Family_

* * *

Breakfast that morning had a bit of a hostile air to it, though it came from only two of the Pokémon in the house. Blessing and Kelvin just had to pick the same time to have breakfast, and cursed themselves for not waiting a few more minutes in order to have a late breakfast. What also certainly didn't help was when Strike started in.

"You're a real jerk, Kelvin!" he shouted. "How could you break Blessing's heart like that last night?!"

"Strike, were you not paying attention last night?" Kelvin responded. "Besides, she wasn't sad at all."

"Yes, she was! You don't think a girl would take a breakup well, do you?!"

Neither of the two had noticed Blessing left the dining room in a huff.

"How am I supposed to tell how she's feeling all the time? And why do you think I care now?"

"Because you should! You were perfect for her, and she was perfect for you! She loved you, and you just put a Mortite spear through her heart! You're a monster! Maybe The World Destroyer should've made _YOU_ a Vessel instead of Scraggy!"

That comment made something in Kelvin snap. He glared at Strike, trying to find something to say, but instead, he turned and stormed off to his room. He then threw a Focus Punch at the wall, deciding it was better to punch the wall rather than Strike. After delivering the punch, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror in his room, and the look on his own face frightened him. The glare on his face was the same glare he imagined The World Destroyer had whenever she looked at Pelame, the kind of look that could kill armies if looks were able to. He decided to get back into bed and go back to sleep, hoping the rest would calm him down.

In the evening, Kelvin awakened and ran into Magus just as he was preparing to enter his room.

"Kelvin," Magus said. "We need to talk about something."

"If it's about Blessing, then—"

"No, this won't be about her, but it will be about what's been bothering you lately. I know it may be uncomfortable for you to recount, but I need you to tell me about what happened last night."

"Okay," Kelvin said. "But come in my room. I want to tell it only to you." Magus followed Kelvin into his room, and the two sat down and discussed matters. Kelvin began with the argument from last night.

"I'm not picking any sides here," Magus said. "But breaking up with Blessing was a bit much. It sounds to me like the both of you got angry at each other, and your anger guided your actions and words. This will have to be worked out between the two of you."

"I know. I'm not ready yet, though, and I don't think she is."

"I understand. You both should take all the time you need to cool down. That's all I can advise you to do."

"I know that, Magus! But the thing is, as out-of-line as she was being last night, she had a point. About my mother, Celsius."

"About her being a bad mother?"

"No, she wasn't. Well, she wasn't the best mother, but what Blessing was right about was that I was a bad son. Whenever I say I love both my parents, I lied. I actually love my father a lot more than my mother. He was my favorite. And it's that way because, and I'll always be ashamed to admit this because I really don't want to be, I've been afraid of mom for years."

Kelvin then took a deep breath.

"I'm only fourteen years old, and I think Blessing is fifteen. She would have been three when this happened. I don't even know why I bring up our ages. I guess I'm just uncomfortable talking about this."

"It's okay, Kelvin. We're alone in here. The others have all left for the day. They're out tending to the trees and supervising the children."

"Okay. The thing is, this happened when I was just two years old. As you know, my mother used to be a very infamous criminal, and my father used Alpha Atone on her to let her know what she had been doing. My mom changed for the better that day, and realized her Alpha Power on the day she left prison. But some of her personality traits from her criminal days remained, even now they do. She was always a lot less calm than dad. One day, I found that out the hard way."

Kelvin looked very uncomfortable with the next part of his story. Magus could tell that a story of a traumatizing experience was coming up.

"My mother, as you know, has a short temper. With that in mind, it really was hard for her to win our hometown's Model Citizen of the Year Award. It was the first time other Pokémon besides dad and myself recognized her as someone worth caring about, so she was really proud of that award. It was a testament to how she was able to put her dark past behind her and become who she is now. And then, like a complete idiot, I was playing with a rubber ball I brought home from my school. Everything would have been fine if I didn't kick it directly at my house. As you know, my species and evolutionary line are very physically strong, so when I gave an exceptionally powerful kick to the ball, I somehow was able to send a weak rubber ball through the master bedroom's window. Even worse, it knocked over the award my mom won and broke it, shattering the possession she was proudest of. I spent the rest of the day fearing what my parents would do when they got home, and when they got home, worse than what I feared would happen."

Magus saw it in Kelvin's face. This was the most painful part of the story.

"My father started giving me a stern talking-to, albeit with a raised voice. He was very displeased with me, but after he was done, my mom…" Kelvin started tensing up. "…She lost all control of herself. She got so angry that her Blaze ability activated. When she got hold of me, she viciously attacked me. It was like being one of her victims back in her criminal days. By the time dad calmed her down, my arm was broken, I sustained a burn on my wrist, and I had been afraid of her ever since. In fact, this charcoal bracelet covers that burn. I've hidden it for all these years, because I didn't want to be afraid of her anymore, because I know that deep down, she's a good Pokémon. And I know she didn't mean her actions that day." Kelvin looked away from Magus in shame. "You probably saw that I went to my dad first when we all arrived here. That's because, well, I…"

"It's coming to a head," Magus said. "You're thinking of finally confronting her about this, aren't you?"

"Yes," Kelvin answered. "But I have to do it alone. I appreciate you listening to my story, Magus. You know, in the time you've been my teacher, you've also been an ideal parental figure to me."

"But you know I can't replace your family, though I appreciate the compliment."

"I know, but you've been my ideal family figure, one I don't have to fear. Seeing my parents after all this time, well, it's such a bizarre experience. I've had enough of being afraid. Tonight, I'm talking to my mom about this."

"I'm sure she'll understand. Deep down, she's as sorry as you are."

Both of the Pokémon were unaware that Blessing was just outside, and she had overheard everything. Now she really felt horrible, and went to her room to sulk.

Later that night, Kelvin approached Celsius as she was locking the house up. Although he was waiting for this moment for years, he couldn't help but be nervous about it. He was hesitant to speak, until Celsius saved him the trouble.

"Magus told me you needed to speak to me," she said.

"I see," Kelvin answered. "Did he say anything else? Like what it was about?"

"No, he didn't. He just said it was important. But I know exactly what you're going to say."

"We both knew this day would come. Mom, I don't want to be afraid anymore."

Although Celsius knew what her son was referring to, she still couldn't help but be taken aback.

"I know I did a stupid thing when I broke that award you won, but…" Kelvin struggled through until he was finally able to let it all out. "…unleashing Blaze on me? Mom, was I really less important to you than some plaque? Didn't you know how much you mattered to everyone?"

"In time, I learned that that was the case. But I really worked hard for that award, Kelvin."

"I know you did. It symbolized how much you had changed since you married dad and hatched me as an egg. I shouldn't have been anywhere near it. But mom, why did you overreact like that? I really need to know."

For years, Celsius had prepared her answer. "Because, when I saw the plaque shattered on the floor of our house's master bedroom, it looked like all the work I put into to win that award shattered with it. You know how horrible I was before I met your father; you've heard the stories. When I won that award, it was as if everyone in the community finally recognized that I had realized how wrong I was, and had accepted me and trusted me as a friend. The prize for that achievement, the reminder that I matter… destroyed by my own son. Even if it was an accident, it still hurt me deeply."

"I know it did, and I can never apologize enough for it. But was it really worth doing _this_ to me?" Kelvin removed the charcoal bracelet on his left wrist and revealed the burn scar under it. "Was it really worth beating me until my arm was broken? Why should some slab of marble be a symbol of how much you mattered?" Kelvin's tears started flowing at this point. "Didn't you already know how much you mattered to dad? And to me?"

"I've always known, but…" For once, Celsius couldn't find an appropriate response. "I don't know. But I should have always known. I'm your mother, but, that day, I… well…" And then, Celsius began to tear up, too. "No mother should ever do that to her child! Kelvin, how can you ever forgive me?"

"That's simple! Because you're my mother, and I love you! I've always loved you! And I'll always be sorry that I loved dad more than I loved you up until now! I should have loved you both equally, but I didn't! No matter how good my reason was for it, it doesn't matter! We're family, and that's what matters!"

"You had every right, Kelvin. I'm so sorry for everything I did that day. You will always be more important than some stupid plaque. I no longer need marble to know how much I mean to others. I don't think I ever did."

"It's okay, mom. I forgive you for it all, if you'll forgive me for favoring dad over you."

"Of course I can."

The two simian Pokémon looked each other in the eyes, then embraced each other in a hug.

"I love you, mom. And thanks for everything you've done for me and dad. You're the best mother ever."

"I love you too, Kelvin. You've always been the best son a mom could ever have. Thank you so much."

At last, the issue between mother and son had been resolved.

* * *

_Special Episode 5 – A Refresher Course_

* * *

It had already been one month since Pelame's spirit had been healed and her recovery had begun. Only two more months remained until she was to awaken. Life was calm for the group striving for justice. Everyone was on good terms again, even Kelvin and Strike (though the issue with Blessing still needed working out). In that time, they settled on calling themselves "The World Rebuilders", treating it like a name for an Exploration Team.

"It's not often I say this," Emolga conceded when the name was decided on. "But I think 'Emolga's Enforcers' would actually have brought our credibility down. Well, at least in comparison to 'The World Rebuilders', anyway. I'll accept that name."

It was quite strange living so calmly, and with the occasional day of fun. Blessing couldn't even remember the last time she played "Truth or Dare" with anyone. She managed to get Emolga, Dunsparce, and Bubbles to play it with her. The game abruptly ended when Bubbles gave the following dare to Blessing.

"I dare you to sit on this patch of stickerbrush!" he said.

Without much reluctance, Blessing sat down on the stickerbrush patch, causing the stickers to stick themselves in her rear end. Needless to say, it hurt a lot. Even worse, Magus was with the other adults, harvesting the berries and planting the new ones. She'd turn to Votum, but she had been tending to Pelame ever since this impromptu vacation began. So, that left her with one option.

"I can't believe I'm turning to you," Blessing said, having gone to great pains to even get into the house. "I'd turn to Magus, or to Votum, but they're busy. Plus, I know you won't tell anyone this happened to me."

"Well, despite everything, I'd be happy to help you," Kelvin said, taking the job Blessing just gave to him. "Assume the position, please." As told, Blessing lied down on the ground, lying down on her front so as to allow Kelvin to get at the stickers stuck in her behind. "Do your best to hold still, because this will hurt."

"So, despite what happened between us, why are you—" Blessing winced when Kelvin pulled out a sticker. "…why are you helping me out? I would have thought you'd—" Kelvin pulled out another one. "…you'd just leave me like this."

"Well, that's simple," Kelvin answered. "I needed a refresher course in this, being as I've fallen a bit behind, no pun intended, in my healing expertise. Plus, as a healer, it's not my place to judge. All I am to do is heal."

"I've heard of that oath, and I think it can easily backfire. I mean— OUCH! FOR GOODNESS' SAKE! Anyway, if The World Destroyer were to come crawling to you, would you heal her?"

"Oh, goodness, no! I asked Magus about it, and the oath doesn't apply to her."

"Makes sense. Let her rot." *plunk* "OUCH! OKAY, WHY IS THIS HURTING SO MUCH _NOW_?!"

Kelvin gave Blessing a handkerchief from the kitchen. "Here, bite down on this. In fact, keep that in your mouth, and then bite it when I pull out a sticker." Blessing stuffed the item in her mouth.

"You know, it'sh kinha rehreshing halking hoo you ahain, Kelhin."

"Yeah. I mean, it did hurt what you said that night, but you had a point. I resolved the issue with my family a month ago, at long last. I'm sorry for putting you through that, though. I shouldn't have broken your heart like that."

"It'sh okay, Kelhin. I shoulhn't—" *pluck* Blessing bit down hard on the cloth as the last of the stickers was removed.

"You can spit out the hankie now."

Blessing did so, and was relieved to be able to speak clearly again. "I shouldn't have made as low a blow as I did, but, yeah, that was a bit overreactive of you. But I am sorry for saying what I said to you that night. But, and I hope you're not offended when I say this, I'm not ready to start dating again. I hope you understand."

"Well, not really, but I respect your decision. I hope we can at least be friends again."

"Of course we can, Kelvin. After all, our relationship was fun while it lasted, and I'm sure a regular friendship will work, too. I'm all for that. And who knows? Maybe love will rekindle between us in time."

"Yeah. Time is what we need, but at least we've resolved the cause of it. By the way, stay right there. There's one more step to recovery here." Kelvin went to the kitchen to prepare something. While Blessing was alone in the rumpus room, Bubbles, Emolga, and Dunsparce came in to see her.

"Sheesh, your rear end is such a danger magnet!" Bubbles quipped.

"Bubbles, lay off!" Emolga scolded.

"Okay. Sorry, Blessing. That was a stupid thing to dare you to do. So, to make us even, look at this." Bubbles turned around and showed that the foam bubbles on his back had been dyed red. "I dyed my frubbles red to make up for this. How do you like it?"

"Looks really humiliating, Bubbles. But you really didn't need to. Besides, I started the game, so it was kinda my own fault."

Kelvin then returned with a small tub full of Sitrus Berry Juice. "Here you go," he said, giving it to Blessing. "Sit in this. It'll ease the sore feeling and help get rid of the bruises and cuts."

Blessing sat in the juice, which was a much more comforting feeling than she thought it would be. Of course, it was a lot more comforting to be on speaking terms with Kelvin, whom she settled with being just normal friends with.

* * *

_Special Episode 6 – Spirit Invasion_

* * *

Just outside the Alpha Guard, Mew was waiting. As soon as everyone got to sleep, she used her natural telekinetic powers to lift Pelame out of the house and out of the area.

"I'll make you disappear myself!" Mew said to the unconscious Eevee. "The World Destroyer will be back in commission sooner than scheduled, thanks to me. I'll just need your spirit gone, and those of your friends."

Transforming into a dark vapor, Mew entered Pelame's spirit and hid there when Vand came to retrieve her body, having noticed she had left. Mew's cover was perfect; she managed to get into the Alpha Guard flawlessly.

Mew then began traveling around within Pelame's spirit, beginning her assault.

"Shame about Lugia, huh? Yet another good Pokémon dead because of you!"


	16. Chapter 16 - Reawakening

Chapter 16 – Reawakening

* * *

"Hey, Pelame!" Mew demanded. "I know you're listening! I know you've recovered enough of your spirit to hear speech! Because there are some things I am going to discuss with you! And I'm certain that you are not going to like the topic at all!"

* * *

Pelame's consciousness had returned, though control of her physical body hadn't. Only today did control of her spiritual body return, and it couldn't leave her body unless she died. She was very much alive, so her spirit remained in her body. It was free to move about and reflect on the events of her lifetime. Everything from the day of her hatching to the day her spirit was nearly destroyed was free for her to look at. Of all those days, she was focusing on days where important figures died in front of her, or because of her. Loyal, Cresselia, Team Skull, Team AWD, Jirachi, and now Lugia, and that was just to name a few of the victims on The World Destroyer's impossibly large body count. But of all the evil spirit's kills, these were the ones that stuck out most to Pelame. Friends she couldn't save, the latter of whom died just after she promised herself not to let anyone else die on her watch.

"I wanted to save you," Pelame sobbed. "But I couldn't. I don't want anyone to be next."

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Mew taunted, finally tracking down Pelame's consciousness. "Would you feel better if you were the one who was next? Because I'm thinking that's exactly what's going to happen."

From the tip of her tail, Mew caught Pelame with an electrical discharge.

"Grovyle was set to suffer exactly this, and now it's your turn, Pelame! As you're disappearing, I'd like you to know exactly how much of a complete failure you are!"

* * *

Vand had just finished recounting what had happened last night.

"Telekinesis?" Keldeo asked. "Remind me again; who all did The World Destroyer make Vessels out of? Were there any Psychic-types?"

"A few, actually," Vand answered. "Mew's a Psychic-type, right?"

"Yes," Hydreigon answered. "Not only that, she's The World Destroyer's top soldier."

"Then this had to be her doing!" Keldeo said. "She must have tried to kill Pelame last night, but Vand stopped her in the nick of time. Way to go, Vand!"

"Actually, she's trying to kill her now," Votum said. "I can sense it; she's broken into Pelame's spirit and is trying to make her spirit disappear."

"Why that—" Keldeo was ready for action. "Then let's rescue her! We can enter her spirit, too, can't we?!"

"Unfortunately, no," Votum answered. "Mew's keeping anything from following her. I can try contacting her spirit, but that will be all I can do. If this doesn't work, then Pelame is on her own."

"Then for goodness' sake, do it!" Keldeo said, almost demanding.

Votum focused her power on spiritually contacting Pelame.

* * *

"I see it all here," Mew continued. "Quite a lot of Pokémon died because of you. Frankly, I'm shocked, and also glad I never knew you before now. Of course, you probably would have wanted to know me before you found out about your Alpha Bloodline connection so that I would have been a statistic on your record!"

Pelame's consciousness was slipping as the attack was damaging her. All she could think of was the truth in Mew's words; many Pokémon had died as a result of knowing her. However, soon a new thought entered her.

_"Pelame, can you hear me? It's me, Votum."_

Votum had indeed managed to reach Pelame.

_"Don't let Mew kill you! Please! Come back to us!"_ Keldeo begged, having joined Votum's spiritual contact, along with Vand.

_"I know you can see through Mew's trickery!"_ Vand reassured. _"I just saw what you were feeling. It's okay to feel the way you do. I may have known only Lugia, but he won't have died for nothing if we can bring peace to the world. Remember that the friends who are still alive share your goal! Save the world in the memory of those gone before us! I know you can do it!"_

_"He's right, Pelame! You must be a beacon of hope and faith!"_

Suddenly, Mew's attack stopped. The surroundings glowed a slight gold color, distracting Mew.

"That dumb meddling spirit!" she cursed. "She'll ruin everything!" Taking hold of Pelame's consciousness, she fled to a deeper and darker part of Pelame's spirit. "Ah, that's much better! Anyway, where were we? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I think you get the point of how dangerous you are. Of course, there's something else I want to discuss with you. It's about the Dark Blessing, and how it's significant to you."

"You know, Mew," Pelame said. "You don't need to say anything about that, because I just don't have it in me anymore. My friends and I have all tried to escape the Dark Blessing, and it has never worked. Blessing succumbed to it out of grief for her sister, Grovyle succumbed to it from being forced to, and I succumbed to it once without knowing it. And just recently, Scraggy's fear of Quagsire let it into him, and the other Legendary Pokémon unknowingly let it into themselves just by saying The World Destroyer's name. In turn, that taught the world what happens when one says your master's name."

"That's right, Pelame," Mew said. "It's good to know when you've lost. It's good to know how doomed from the start the Alpha Bloodline was."

"And here's something it would be good for you to know, Mew. Remember why _you_ accepted the Dark Blessing? It was because you're a competitive brat who would never tolerate losing at anything, and would do anything for victory. You didn't care about anything that would follow, everything from your power boost at the cost of the individuality of your spirit to your master disgracing you for even the slightest mistake. Too bad for you that you just made yet another one."

"Impossible! I don't make mistakes! I don't do anything wrong!"

"But you did. Just now, you did three things wrong. First, you missed a chance to just be rid of me by opting to take such a convoluted route as this instead of just sticking me on a bunch of your little Mortalactites. As if that wasn't enough, your plan to even do this in the first place gained notice from Votum, who gave me enough strength to resist. Oh, but the best part about it all is what you did to give yourself the advantage, or so you thought it was. I can sense it in you; you stole Dark Blessings from every single one of the Vessels that were still active, all except for Scraggy, hoping to power yourself up. Honestly, this whole thing was destined to fall apart, and it shows that you certainly didn't gain any of your master's strategist skills! Why, you're such a horrible strategist, that this whole thing backfired not just on you, but to the Demon-type as a whole! If you had left this up to The World Destroyer, then there may have been the smallest chance that the Demon-types would have finally snuffed out the light of the Alpha Bloodline, because at least she knew what she was doing! But you? To emphasize it, the Alpha Bloodline is going to win, and it's all your fault!"

"Why you little—"

"And what I meant about it being impossible for me to run from the Dark Blessing was because, by making your third and biggest mistake, you brought 99% of the Dark Blessing with you! So, once I'm finished with you, Scraggy and The World Destroyer will be the only ones left! So Mew, you made everything so much easier for the entire Alpha Bloodline!"

With that tirade, the last bit of Mew's self-control had gone away. "Well,… then… you…" she stammered. "You're just… I…" Not being able to find any words, Mew unleashed her Demon-type power and made about fifteen Mortite spears out of it. "YOU'RE FINISHED! YOU CAN'T FIGHT WITH A DAMAGED SPIRIT!"

"Why don't we just see?" Pelame's form glowed gold as she got ready to settle her score with the so-called Ultimate Vessel. "I should warn you: I have no intention of losing to you, no matter what my condition is. Bring it!"

Mew came charging at Pelame with all fifteen of her spears pointed forward. All of them missed their mark, giving Pelame the chance to snag them with her Alpha Cord technique. She then tossed them all at Mew, who wasn't fast enough to catch them back, causing the spears to shatter upon impact with an Alpha Beam. Pelame came at Mew, blasting her point-blank with another Alpha Beam. Though Pelame had gained a lot of her power back with help, Mew wasn't going down so easily. She lashed forward with a Dark Whip, which was actually her tail taking on the form of that attack. Pelame brought her Alpha Cord forward in time for the two to snag on each other. With a tug, Pelame brought Mew crashing down to the ground, causing the two to untangle soon after. Mew recovered quickly and coated the entire battlefield in Mortite. It was tough standing on it since it burned to stand on it for long (not to mention the simultaneous freezing feeling), but this didn't daunt Pelame one bit. To make things easier for herself, she put small Alpha Guards on all four of her legs and feet, so as to tread safely on the evil mineral. Seeing the solution she came up with, Mew took a drastic course of action.

"You know, broken spirits do nothing for one's fighting ability!" she shouted. She then turned a Death Sentence beam on the battlefield, shattering it and removing the ground entirely. The shot barely missed Pelame, who now had to deal with standing on nothing. Physically, this would have been a problem, but spiritually, it wasn't. Pelame was able to levitate, just like Mew. Mew dive-bombed at Pelame while toting a giant Mortite axe. Pelame dodged each attack until Mew decided to lead Pelame as a target, catching her just as she moved to dodge. Luckily, Pelame had Alpha Guarded in the nick of time, but now she was stuck under the weight of Mew's new weapon, and it was being pushed down on her very painfully. Worse still, the Alpha Guard was breaking apart. If it did, Pelame's spirit would be damaged for certain, maybe even killed off.

"Told you so!" Mew taunted as she prepared her final blow. She brought the axe down and broke through Pelame's Alpha Guard. And in doing so, completely took the bait. As soon as the Alpha Guard shattered, Pelame charged forth and connected with a Skull Bash attack, disorienting the Vessel. Now it was Pelame's turn to go on the offensive and unleash a combo of her own. An Iron Tail closely followed her Skull Bash attack, and after that came an improvised Alpha Dive attack, where she coated herself in Alpha Power and dived headlong into Mew, finally stunning the Ultimate Vessel.

"Told _you_ so!" Pelame remarked. "All of this was your biggest mistake ever! Now, get out of my spirit!" Everything around the two combatants glowed gold as Pelame's spirit regained its full glory. "Alpha Exorcise!" With that one, Mew was forced out of Pelame's spirit.

* * *

"Great job, Pelame!" Vand congratulated after seeing Mew go flying out of the house. Pelame suddenly got to her feet and got ready to deliver a finishing blow to the pink creature. "Your turn to see the light, Mew! Alpha Purify!" But before Pelame could reach her, a Dimensional Hole appeared and swallowed Mew up, and then closed itself before anyone could give chase.

"Damn it all!" Celebi said. "We _almost _finally had her! Hey, Pelame, what are you so happy about?"

"Well, I think The World Destroyer is going to have a word with her about this," Pelame said, smirking.

* * *

"What in the world _IS_ she?!" Mew demanded. "It's like Pelame becomes Votum from time to time! I will not stand for this!"

**"But you will."**

In the month-and-a-half that had passed, The World Destroyer had also regained enough strength to feel.

**"I have a bone to pick with you. You have failed on an impossibly large scale, Mew."**

"Impossible!" Mew protested. "I don't make mistakes! I don't do anything wrong!"

**"Yes, you said that to Pelame earlier. It was a lie then, and it's a lie now. It has finally occurred to me what a mistake it was to ever get you on my side, Mew. Siphoning Dark Blessings from all but one of my Vessels, botching a self-imposed mission to kill Pelame which instead enabled her speedy recovery, and now losing in battle against her. Unfortunately, your failures cannot be tolerated any longer. You cannot make up for these mistakes. Instead, I will be settling things myself. At this point, I am the only one who can compensate for your complete failure today."**

"No, you can't cut me off! I'll kill all of them! I promise! I only did what I did because I was following your advice of making others suffer! I just wanted Pelame to suffer!"

**"There are times where practicality must be used, and this was such a time. Pelame is too dangerous a threat to take the sadism approach with."**

"But still, I can help you get rid of her and the Alpha Bloodline.

The World Destroyer then had a horrible thought. **"Actually, you're right. There is just one thing you can indeed be useful for."**

Eight wings extended from the body of darkness and ensnared Mew. Thorns dug themselves into her and absorbed the multiple Dark Blessings out of her, rendering her a normal Pokémon. Even her regular Psychic power was removed, making her completely helpless against the evil spirit. A hand clasped around her neck, and a dark power coated her right arm, traveling down it and leaking onto Mew. Mew's form turned black as her spirit was being viciously assaulted.

**"****_Now_**** you're utterly useless to me. You'll disappear now, and I'll live quite a bit better for it."**

Once Mew's form was completely black, The World Destroyer tossed her upward and delivered a finishing punch as she came tumbling down. As soon as her fist made contact, Mew's form disintegrated into nothingness. Mew had disappeared from existence.

**"You're next, Pelame!"**

With that, The World Destroyer had regained her power (and then some) and set out to attack.

* * *

"The fact that all those Legendary Pokémon said her name is how I found out about that curse," Hydreigon said after Pelame recounted what had just happened within her spirit.

"So, if Mew went nuts and stole all those Dark Blessings," Blessing said. "Then that means The World Destroyer is on her own now!"

"Not really," Vand said. "Scraggy's still out there."

"Scrafty, actually," Umbreon said. "He evolved. Espeon and I came across him on our way here."

"He seemed so sad," Espeon said empathetically. "It's like he was resisting his Dark Blessing. He really isn't the same anymore. It's like he was losing his mind. In fact, he didn't even recognize me when he saw me. And his speech was really stilted."

"My goodness!" Virizion said in shock. "How could such a thing happen to him?"

"The World Destroyer really needs to just die already!" Keldeo said.

Pelame then perked up, as if sensing something. She sensed a very powerful evil presence, one that she'd know anywhere.

"If we don't get out of here, we'll all die!" she said. "All of you, take the shortest routes you can find to the Alpha Sanctuary! We'll all meet close by there! Alpha Warp!"

The entire group was teleported away just as The World Destroyer's Death Sentence beam destroyed the entire forest surrounding the refuge.

* * *

Pelame and Vand reappeared in a densely wooded area, lit up by the Alpha Beacon that appeared to be only a few more hundred miles away.

"Hey, Vand, may I ask you something?" Pelame asked.

"Sure," Vand answered. "Anything at all."

"What did you mean by me 'feeling the way I do?'"

"Well, the thing is…" Vand took a deep breath. "I understand why you're going through this, but it's getting out of hand. It's what made you fall into The World Destroyer's trap a month and a half ago. I heard it called Survivor's Guilt."

"Survivor's Guilt? You think I'm going through Survivor's Guilt?"

"It's because you are, and again, I understand how painful it is to lose a friend. I worry about Torden every day, and I'm sure you worry about Pugno the same way. But you can't let that guide your actions. As good as it is to want to save everyone you can, don't go through life eternally regretting the things you couldn't do that would have saved someone."

"But there _are_ things I could've done to save—"

"I know, Pelame. I know. All I'm saying is to put regret out of your mind. What you do in the future can make up for what you feel guilt about. For example, when Bubbles was crying about Lugia's death—"

Vand was cut off by a Heart Stopper scoring a direct hit, damaging him badly.

**"Hello, kids! Hiding from me, are you?!"**

The World Destroyer had already tracked the two of them down. Something was different about her. Apart from her power spike, she also seemed to have lost a bit of her sanity.

**"I will suffer the both of you no longer! And everyone and everything will follow you!"**

The fiend lunged toward Pelame, lance-first. Vand fended the attack off with his Razor Shell attack. His movements were sluggish due to the attack he had received a moment ago. He had enough strength to blast her with a Hydro Pump attack, which was deflected back at him very painfully. With Vand down, she tossed a Demon Orb at Pelame and started repeatedly lashing her with her Dark Whip. She then put her wings all together and spun them like a drill. Before the wing drill could reach her, Vand used some of his remaining energy to use his Aqua Jet attack to push her out of the way. The drill grazed him and drew blood. He was then lashed twice by the whip, and then blasted again by a Heart Stopper attack. Even after taking such a brutal beating, Vand refused to give up. With the last of his strength, he stood in front of Pelame, guarding him.

**"Why do you think that wretch is worth protecting?!"**

"Because… she's… my friend…!" Vand panted. "I…won't let you… kill her! You'll have to go… through me!"

The World Destroyer then grasped Vand by the neck and stood on top of Pelame, pinning her down. **"Very well. Then you are disappearing first! And this…"** she stomped on Pelame's head. **"…pathetic bitch will be disappearing after you!"**

Dark energy started to coat Vand as he began to disappear. Outraged by this, Pelame lashed out with a powerful Alpha Blast, knocking Vand out of the fiend's hand. Only a little bit of his spirit disappeared, nowhere near the damage Pelame took a month and a half ago. However, it took a significant toll on him, as he was barely conscious and could no longer stand. All he could do was lie there helplessly as their mortal enemy advanced on them.

**"It's over for you both!"**

A Bittercold sigil appeared in front of her. Both Pokémon realized what was coming, and nothing was going to save them from it. The beam was fired at them. In a futile attempt to live, Vand used the last of his strength to summon up the strongest Alpha Guard he could. Pelame placed a paw on him, combining her own Alpha Guard with his. She also was using Helping Hand on Vand, strengthening his Guard even more. To their surprise, the guard worked. Of course, the blast was so powerful that it pushed them back deeper into the forest. They seemed to completely disappear once the attack stopped.

**"We'll meet again at the Alpha Sanctuary! You won't evade your fate!"**

* * *

Pelame and Vand landed roughly in a deep and dark area of the forest. Pelame took a moment to heal Vand, restoring quite a bit of his energy. The two quickly resumed their travels.

"Whoa, that was close," Pelame said. "I think she's starting to lose her mind. I can tell she knows she's losing. Vand, can you walk?"

"I can now that you healed me," Vand answered. "Thanks."

"So, what were you saying before?"

"Oh, about Bubbles? I had my friend Gurdurr sculpt a small figure of Lugia for him to keep in remembrance of him. It was his birthday that day."

"Wow. That's so kind of you. You know, I wish I could move on that easily."

Suddenly, Vand stopped walking. In fact, he had gotten stuck. Pelame was safe, though, but she was witnessing something shocking. Vand was sinking into the ground. It was odd, since there was no visible quicksand, or anything to sink into. He appeared to just be sinking into a normal patch of ground.

"Pelame!" Vand shouted. "Save yourself! Get out of here!" A dark winglike hand reached up and grabbed Vand and started dragging him down.

_"No one else will die. NO. ONE."_ Pelame's promise repeated itself in her head. _"YOU HEAR ME, WORLD DESTROYER?! YOU'RE NOT KILLING __**ANYONE**__ ELSE WHILE I'M AROUND!"_

"Alpha Cord," she shouted, snapping back to reality. The cord wrapped around Vand's waist, and she started pulling.

"Pelame, I said get away from here!" Vand said. "The world needs you!"

"I'm not letting anyone else die!" Pelame responded. "I won't let you die, Vand! I need you to make to the Alpha Sanctuary with me! Just hold on!" Pelame hardly noticed that she was being pulled in after Vand.

"I'm begging you, Pelame! You're being pulled in! Tell Torden I said hello!"

"We'll—" Pelame tugged as hard as she could. "Tell him together!"

Suddenly, the hand pulled Vand under the ground. Even then, Pelame refused to let go, and as a result, she was dragged down with him.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Pelame vs Mew – L'Eminenza Oscura I (Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance OST)

Sinking beneath the Forest – Emptiness (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 anime OST)

* * *

**A/N: From this point on will be the points of the saga I have always wanted to write. As such, updates may take a while. Hang in there, everyone, we're almost there.**


	17. Chapter 17 - New Resolve

Chapter 17 – New Resolve

* * *

Everything was dark when Pelame awakened. No matter how brightly she lit up her Alpha Amulet, all that surrounded her was black. The only thing she could see was her Amulet, and her own paw in front of her face.

"Vand?" she called. Her voice echoed in the emptiness, but no answer from her friend came. She ventured forward to start searching for him. She didn't know where to begin searching, as everything was dark and navigation was impossible.

"Vand? Where are you?"

No matter how much she called, her own echo was the only response.

"Vand?! Answer me!"

The last thing she remembered before ending up in this strange place was a strange red wing with claws that could have passed as fingers. It had grabbed Vand as he was sinking into the ground and pulled him under. Pelame remembered trying to save him, ignoring him when he told her to leave him behind. As a result, she got pulled in as well. But now, she was no worse for wear from that, and Vand was missing. She began to fear the worst had happened to him, but tried to push that thought out of her head. On the other hand, the worst had already happened to a lot of important ones before her. When she thought about those figures of her past, it was as if she could hear their final moments like they happened in front of her all over again.

_"Tell my sister…that…I love her."_

Hearing Loyal's last words struck an unbelievable blow to Pelame's heart. Though she wasn't there for when that happened, it was the first friend of hers who died because of The World Destroyer, not to mention the Staravia who was suddenly killed by the fiend. That latter incident served as Pelame's official introduction to the greatest enemy she had ever faced, and the moment that established her as a heartless murderer in her eyes. She never could have imagined how much worse the enemy would get as time went on, and worst of all, how many friends she was going to lose to this exact same figure. After Loyal came Dialga, which was another painful memory although his death didn't last. The same couldn't be said for Cresselia. The sight of Cresselia's death was one of the most macabre things she had ever witnessed. She couldn't forget the scream the Lunar Pokémon tried to let out, but got cut short by The World Destroyer's wing going through her. Tears started welling in Pelame's eyes.

"Vand?! Where are you?!"

She didn't want to think about what could have possibly happened to her friend. She wanted to believe that he was alive. She wanted him to avoid the fate that befell other familiar figures of her past, which kept creeping into her mind despite her efforts to keep a calm head.

Even though he was by no means a friend, Darkrai's dying scream crept into her mind, as did those of the six Sableye soldiers that served Dusknoir. Soon following were the dying screams of all three of Team AWD's members. Not a single one of them survived that horrible day The World Destroyer returned in her full power, and all she did was sit there and watch in horror as it happened. And in the eight years she was gone from the world, that had allowed the fiend to conquer the world, only because Pelame managed to save the planet.

"_But I couldn't save anyone on it,"_ she thought to herself. _"I can save some giant space rock, but not that many living things on it?! What was Arceus thinking trusting the world to me?!"_

And in those eight years, many other good Pokémon had died, along with some not-so-good ones. Team Skull had been confirmed dead among her travels, as did Torkoal. Even if Torkoal's death was of his age, it still stung her heart, and that death was found out just after witnessing Jirachi fall into despair and kill himself, just as The World Destroyer wanted him to. Oh, and Pokémon Paradise. She had failed to save the product of Vand and Torden's hard work, the landmark of trust in their hometown. A lot of the populace died in the siege, even more Pokémon Pelame wasn't able to save.

_"I'm not standing here while The World Destroyer makes a mess out of the world." _

Pelame remembered her own words, the words she ended up not being able to live up to. The World Destroyer indeed was able to continue making a mess out of the world, and Pokémon Paradise was among the many places laid siege to since. And just recently, Lugia, who she wasn't even conscious while she was rescued by him, died on the way to her safety. And just a month-and-a-half after that, the forest all of her remaining friends were hiding her in had been completely destroyed, taking with it any number of Pokémon. Pelame wasn't even sure if any of her friends even made it out of there in time. And to top it all off, Vand got viciously attacked by The World Destroyer herself, almost falling victim to the dreaded Disappear attack, a fate which Pelame herself barely avoided. And just when it looked like they were in the clear, the two of them got pulled under the forest they arrived in.

"VAND?! PLEASE ANSWER ME!"

It became nearly impossible at this point not to fear the worst had happened. If she already failed numerous times to save friends of hers, why should now be any different?

"_If it means getting you to the Alpha Sanctuary and finding all of our friends again, I'd gladly risk my life!"_

Those words of Vand's were basically the start of this journey. A lot of their friends were found, but dead. And then a lot more died after they had left.

"_I made you throw your life away,"_ Pelame moped in her mind. _"A boy your age had your whole life ahead of you, and, because of me—"_

Her somber thoughts were interrupted when she tripped over something. Turning around, she found that she had tripped over some_one_ instead. She should have been relieved to find out that it was Vand she tripped over, but instead, she was devastated. He lie there, motionless. She rushed over to him to try to wake him, but to no avail. His arms and legs were as black as they were when The World Destroyer had earlier attempted to make him disappear. His spirit was damaged, and Pelame wasn't able to heal it after all. Either that, or it got damaged again as a result of his moving about the moment he was healed. Either way, he looked to be in bad shape.

"_Against an opponent like The World Destroyer, I'd be happy to lend you a hand."_

"_And so you did,"_ Pelame thought. _"And now… look what happened."_

Vand's body had no pulse. It was as if he was in suspended animation, or death.

"_The thing is, I trust you, Pelame. I believe you'll make it to the Alpha Sanctuary. I just want to see you get there. And I also have my own friends to look for, too. You must have some friends out there, too. We'll find them together. Just let me come with you. I refuse to just stand here while The World Destroyer goes around massacring whatever she wants whenever she wants."_

Those words of Vand's had finally convinced Pelame to let him come with her. And now, seeing him dying here made her realize what a mistake that was.

"Vand, I shouldn't have let you come with me," she confessed. "I should've made you stay in Paradise, or _anywhere_ away from me. I'm trouble to all I meet, and I've been that way since The World Destroyer returned to the world. I let you come with me because I thought I could protect you. But…" Pelame wasn't even trying to hold her emotions in anymore. "…you had your entire life to live. And now, because of me, it ended. Before we could reach the Alpha Sanctuary, before we could find your friend Torden, and before the world could be saved. Vand… I…"

"_I trust you, Pelame."_

Vand's voice echoed in her head.

"Well, WHY did you trust me?!" Pelame wailed, collapsing and crying over Vand's dying body. The weight of all these sudden deaths came crashing down on her, and with Vand about to join them, and her being unable to heal his damaged spirit, it became too much for her to bear. Her guilt had finally gotten the better of her as she saw the results of her being active in the world again. It was all over. The World Destroyer had won. Nothing she did would matter now, so the fact that she made an attempt to heal Vand again was futile in her eyes. She wasn't even sure why she bothered. She stayed there, collapsed and weeping until she had no tears in her anymore, nor motivation to continue going on.

"In every way," she sobbed. "I have failed my friends, and the world." Before settling back down, she took her Alpha Amulet off and threw it as far away from herself as she could. About fifteen minutes later, when she found the strength to stand up again, she took Vand's scalchop off of his navel.

"_I just want to see my friends again,"_ Pelame thought to herself as she set the scalchop down. She backed up a little bit, and jumped. She angled herself to land head-first on the scalchop. She shut her eyes.

"_The world is finished, no matter what. At least my friends and I can be happy in our last moments."_ Those were Pelame's final thoughts. She expected to land on the scalchop, but something stopped her fall. She opened her eyes to find that an Alpha Cord caught her in mid-air. But that wasn't possible. No other Alpha-types were nearby, other than Vand.

"I trust you, Pelame."

She thought the words were repeating in her mind again, but this time, they were being spoken to her. Vand had awakened in time to save her from her own despair. He brought her in to give her a hug, which she eagerly returned. Seeing her young friend alive filled her with a happiness she hadn't felt in eight years.

"Thanks for healing me again, Pelame. I thought my spirit was done for when I started moving about before I recovered."

"Thank _you_ for staying alive, Vand! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am now!" She gave him a bunch of quick kisses to his face. "I'm so sorry I got you into all of this!"

"It's okay, Pelame. I think we should get out of here now. It doesn't seem that dangerous."

The complete darkness surrounding the area suddenly lifted to reveal a forest.

"_There_ you two are!"

Approaching the two was a large red avian Pokémon whose wing claws looked like fingers. His wings and tail section made him look like a giant letter Y.

"So, you two weren't dangerous after all. My apologies for dragging you into this place."

"So, were you the one who dragged Vand under the ground?" Pelame asked.

"No," the Pokémon answered. "I dragged him into this area of the forest. I never took him under the ground.

"That's right, he didn't," Vand added. "But I don't really know what happened after. My spirit started coming apart from my pushing to too hard, and then you came and saved me. And, apparently, I saved you." Vand picked up his scalchop and placed it back on his navel. "Besides, my scalchop is _not_ that good of a blunt weapon."

"You must have been seeing things," the red Pokémon said. "But that's how things work here. Those with any unresolved regret fall victim to the tricks of this place, the Glade of Guilt. I am Yveltal, the master of the Glade."

"I kept hearing the voices of old friends who died at the hands of The World Destroyer," Pelame said. "I must have fallen under the Glade's curse myself."

"That's understandable," Yveltal said. "I became the master of this Glade once I conquered it myself. Just like you, I was once plunged into regret by The World Destroyer. Many humans died at my talons because of her, and my regret was that I didn't see it coming. She had acted as my best friend, the only spirit who would ever speak to me. She used my loneliness to manipulate me and get a near-complete massacre of humans accomplished to give her more strength. I eased my regret with the hope that one day, The World Rebuilder would arrive and right all the wrongs The World Destroyer has brought, and that I could help."

"But how can I ease my guilt?" Pelame asked. "Isn't it natural to feel that way when a friend dies in front of you, and you weren't able to stop it?"

"Yes, it is," Vand cut in. "But the thing is, and I've been wanting to tell you this for a while, you've been letting your guilt steer you wrong multiple times. Again, I empathize with you, but you can't just regret the past forever."

"Your friend is right," Yveltal said. "Look inside yourself and you'll find a way to ease your pain."

Pelame decided to try out Yveltal's advice. She closed her eyes and looked inside her own spirit.

* * *

Pelame appeared at the spot where she had defeated Mew not too long ago, the spot where she caught glimpses of those who had fallen before her. She caught sight of Loyal's image, and approached it. Loyal, for some reason, looked overjoyed about something. Next to her, she saw Loyal's younger sibling, the snarky but deep-down good-natured Blessing. This brought back memories of when the both of them were around. Blessing had hated Explorers for some reason that slowly became clear over time. But deep down, Blessing was happy to see that her sister was happy. Loyal had gotten to live her dream of being an Explorer, even if it was short-lived. Her last mission was one of the kind she enjoyed doing. She went with the intention of protecting the innocent, and though the culprit turned out to be strong enough to take her life, she didn't feel like a failure when it happened. She loved her sister, and entrusted Grovyle with her last words of endearment to her. And deep down, Blessing loved Loyal. Over time, Blessing had come to like Exploring herself, and her attitude, while it could still use some working on, had considerably lightened up. Even the most recent setback could be resolved. Though Loyal had died, Blessing kept on doing good for the world, and now she was helping Pelame do the same. Loyal's death was a tragic one, but she had gone out doing what she loved, and she left behind a great legacy for her sister to follow. Realizing this, Pelame's spirit got brighter.

As she explored further, she bore witness to more lights in her life's darkest moments. She happened upon the confrontation she, Pugno, and Grovyle had with Dusknoir all those years ago, during her first adventure. He had been one of her worst enemies before, but looking at him now, he's as nice as the façade he once pretended to be. He essentially turned into his own character. Grovyle had made that possible. Pelame remembered how skeptical she was of him upon first seeing him again. She had managed to forgive him and trust him again despite everything, all because she had finally realized that he had really changed. Realizing the forgiveness that existed in her heart made her spirit shine brighter.

Finally, she happened upon the saddest moment of her life: the day Pugno disappeared from history. There was no way she could forget her deep sadness at the love of her life disappearing from existence.

"Even after I disappear from here, I will never forget you."

Pugno's final words meant a lot to her. He'd love her even from beyond nothingness.

"You have to be strong on your own! You have to live!"

Pugno had said that before either of them knew that he'd be brought back from nothingness by Dialga. It was his dying wish that Pelame stay strong and live for the future so that no big disasters ever happen to the world again. Although worse things have happened to the world since, escalating to this current state, Pelame's strength of will mitigated it, even if just by a bit. But her efforts counted in the long run. After all, if she had never returned, would the world have even remained standing? Likely not. It was then that she finally realized something. The world was counting on her. She promised herself she wouldn't fail her quest, and she had no intention of doing so. Many friends died before her. If she stopped now, they would have died for nothing. Long ago, she had made sure Pugno's disappearance wasn't for nothing. Now, she was going to do the same for her fallen friends. She had enriched their lives while they were alive, and now, they were rooting for her even beyond death. Even if she couldn't save them from their untimely undoings, she could do something for their efforts. She could give their precious ones who were still alive a happy world to live in. She'd give everyone a world of happiness, peace, hope, and faith. At last, she felt all her regrets fade away, and her spirit shined brighter than ever.

* * *

Pelame's body started glowing with her Alpha Amulet. The bright light lit up the entire forest. It was as if sunlight had returned to the world.

"Pelame, your Amulet!" Vand said. "It's gone!"

"No, it's not," Pelame answered. The Amulet she wore around her neck had disappeared. Its power had become part of her spirit and manifested itself as a giant Alpha Sigil floating above her back.

"At last, The World Rebuilder has risen."

A blue and black deer-like Pokémon with sixteen brightly colored antlers approached the group.

"Yes, Xerneas," Yveltal said. "She's finally eased her regrets and escaped the Glade of Guilt."

"Just as you did long ago, old friend," Xerneas said. "Hope has truly returned to the world now."

"Yes, it has. I will be leaving them with you now. This is your forest, after all."

"I thank you for your help, Yveltal. I'll look after them for the night. Come along."

Pelame and Vand waved goodbye to Yveltal and went with Xerneas.

"World Rebuilder, on behalf of the entire world, I welcome you," Xerneas greeted. "Rest for the night in the village. It is the least I can do for you both."

"Thanks, Xerneas," Pelame said. "And you can call me by my name, Pelame. Besides, what is The World Rebuilder, anyway? Am I really some sort of prophetic figure?"

"In a sense, you are. You'll learn about it at the Glacier Palace. I would tell you now, but complete memory of that prophecy is unfortunately lost on me. The collaboration of the memories of the Legendary Pokémon will make it all clear to you soon."

"I see. We'll be there by tomorrow, won't we?"

"At your current rate, yes. In fact, you are two days close to the Alpha Sanctuary."

Pelame and Vand were overjoyed at that news.

"YES! Pelame, we're ALMOST there! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Vand shouted, jumping for joy.

"Yes, we are!" Pelame said, just as excited. "Look how close the Alpha Beacon is!"

The two looked up and saw that the Alpha Beacon was almost directly above them. At this point, it lit up the world, making for a good substitute for a full moon.

"Here we are," Xerneas said. "Everyone, our hopes have arrived!"

Before the three, there was a thriving community of Pokémon.

"They're all refugees who managed to escape The World Destroyer's persecution," Xerneas explained. "This forest is protected by one of the world's strongest Alpha Guards. Apart from the Alpha Sanctuary, this is the safest place on the planet. It is a secret place, not known to too many others."

"We never even knew it existed," Vand said. "We were told that the Alpha Sanctuary was the only truly safe haven left. Seems like this place was even a secret to Hydreigon."

"Its secrecy contributes to its safety. Please, make yourselves at home."

Pelame and Vand couldn't believe their eyes: a hidden village, thriving as if nothing bad was happening to the world. It reminded both of them of home. Memories of Treasure Town came back to Pelame, and memories of Post Town and Pokémon Paradise came back to Vand. Any feelings of homesickness they may have had vanished.

"Vand? Is that you?"

To Vand's surprise, Meloetta approached the two of them.

"And you must be Pelame," she said. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Meloetta."

"Hello," Pelame greeted.

"You have Vand to thank for how I currently am. He Purified me when I was a Vessel."

"Hey there! I thought you looked familiar!" said a green and gray dragon with long mouth tusks carrying a Pokémon egg. "Long time, no see, kiddo!"

"Axew!" Vand said, recognizing Meloetta's old friend from the Village of Silence. The new form didn't fool him. "Gee, it's great to see you again! How have you been?"

"Actually, I'm a Fraxure now. And I've been great. I met a nice female Fraxure and settled down with her. Any minute now, we're going to have a baby! I'll be a dad!"

"That's great! I'm sure you'll be the best dad ever for your child!"

"Pelame? Is that really you?"

A yellow long-necked Pokémon with leaves on his neck and one on his head approached Pelame.

"Remember me? You and that little Bidoof guided me home when I got lost in the woods."

"Of course. How could I forget you? It was partly thanks to you that I made up with my friend Pugno. I wanted to thank you for that."

"Anytime. Friends do forgive each other, after all."

"Indeed, they do. It feels good to forgive." Pelame would know, having finally forgiven herself a few minutes ago.

"EVERYONE! THE EGG'S HATCHING!"

Yet another familiar voice reached Pelame's ears. Everyone in the village raced to one tent in particular. When she and Vand got there, they got front-row seats, so to speak.

"THE EGG IS HATCHING! THE EGG—" It was Loudred giving the announcement, interrupting himself when he noticed Pelame.

"How's it GOING, Pelame?" he asked.

"It's been going great so far," she answered. "We'll catch up later. For now, let's watch."

"Okay."

The Fraxure couple's egg moved around. After a few minutes, the shell fell apart around the little baby Axew that had just been born. It was such a happy sight for all who saw it, especially Pelame and Vand, and most especially the lucky parents.

"It's a boy!" the father Fraxure said. The baby took to his parents immediately. "Anyone want to meet our new son?"

Pelame stepped forward to be the first one to meet the newborn. The baby looked at her and cooed happily at the sight of her.

"Hello, little one," she said softly.

The baby giggled with great glee upon hearing her voice. She then allowed the other residents to meet the baby.

* * *

That night was one of the most renewing experiences of Pelame's life. She had finally let go of her Survivor's Guilt, and got to see the beginning of a new life. She also got to catch up with her old friends from the Wigglytuff Guild. Not to mention that she got to formally introduce Vand to them, just as he got to introduce her to the remaining residents of Post Town. They were all quite taken to each other. The feast that night was one of the most delicious ones ever experienced. After such a hard day, a night like this was just what Pelame and Vand needed.

"Tonight was absolutely incredible," Pelame sighed. "This was absolutely the best day of my life so far."

"Me, too," Vand said just as wistfully. "We _really_ needed a picker-upper. And boy did we get one."

"We sure did. And soon, we'll finally be at the Alpha Sanctuary. I'll make sure that baby Axew grows up in a peaceful world. I'll do it for everyone."

"And I'll be glad to help, Pelame. No matter what, I'm always loyal to you."

"Thanks, Vand. Oh, by the way, I wanted to thank you for everything so far. For being such a great friend, and for being the nicest boy of… by the way, how old are you?"

"Seven years old. I'll be eight years old in two days."

"Seven, then. Happy early birthday, by the way. And also, I turned twenty-three last week."

"Oh. Happy late birthday, Pelame."

"Thanks. And also, as I was saying, thanks for being such a kind-hearted Pokémon. The world ought to be proud to have someone like you living in it."

"Same to you, Pelame. You're a pride and joy of kindness to the world."

"Thanks. Good night, Vand. Tomorrow, the Glacier Palace. And the day after, the Alpha Sanctuary."

"Good night, Pelame. We are almost there."

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Pelame's Despair – The Fullmetal Alchemist (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)

Vand is Alive – Present at Peace (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword OST)

Resolved Guilt / The World Rebuilder's Rise – Oracion (Pokemon – the Rise of Darkrai OST)

Forest of Life – Relic Forest (Pokemon XD – Gale of Darkness OST)

Baby Axew – The Power of Love (Digimon US Soundtrack)

* * *

**A/N: I won't lie: I got a bit choked up writing this chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Alpha Continent

Chapter 18 – The Alpha Continent

* * *

___Vand found himself standing in front of the ruins of an icy palace with Pelame standing next to him. Together they entered the ruins. Inside, they found a large staircase leading up to a—"_

* * *

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

Loudred screamed out his usual awakening sentence.

"Ughh…. Good morning, Vand," Pelame said wearily.

"Morning, Pelame," Vand said, somehow managing to hear Pelame's voice. "So, this is how you and Pugno got up every morning at the Guild?"

"Yeah…"

"How painful…"

* * *

After the rude awakening (to Pelame, it was nostalgic), Pelame and Vand greeted the village and shared their announcement.

"Everyone, Vand and I are leaving for a while. We are on our way to the Alpha Sanctuary, and we'll be there in two days or less."

Everyone in the village cheered for the two brave Pokémon.

"I don't know how things are going to turn out, but I can assure you all that I have no intention of losing to The World Destroyer. Being here last night was an inspiring experience to me; the most peace I've had in eight years. This—" Pelame gestured toward the entire surroundings: forest and populace alike. "—is the kind of peace I've worked all my life preserving. And it makes me as angry as it makes the rest of you to see some pretentious belligerent villain disrupt it, especially when it's on purpose. When I first became an Explorer, I wanted to uncover mysteries of the world and see the wonders that hadn't been known to the world yet. But somewhere along the line, that became only one of many motives. Now, most of all, I just want happiness. Happiness for myself, happiness for my friends, and happiness for all life in the world. You may consider me crazy for saying this, but deep down, I even want The World Destroyer to be happy. Not the sadistic joy she gets from doing what she's made a job and hobby out of, but the kind of happiness we all feel from each others' acts of kindness. That's what I want to share with the world: happiness. And that comes from hope and faith, in addition to many other positive aspects. So everyone, no matter what happens, always remember to be happy. But, as Arceus is my witness, I will bring happiness back to the world!"

"YEAH! GO PELAME!" Loudred shouted.

"I know I was happy when I finally found my mother!" Strike said, as his mother nodded in agreement.

"Also, you made me happy when you and your friends helped looked after my son," said Strike's mother, a Persian.

"I'm staying here to learn what happiness is," Zircon said. "But, I gotta say, being with you Pelame gave me a bit of the gist of it."

"If you see Kelvin," Strike said. "Can you tell him that I'm sorry for arguing with him?"

"Will do," Vand said.

"Well, Pelame," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said. "You certainly made me happy with the progress you made since joining the Guild. I know you can do it. Go get 'em!"

"All right, everyone!" Vand said. "We're off! And we're going to save the world!"

"HOORAY!" shouted everyone.

After that uplifting moment, the two were off.

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, Scrafty was wandering around aimlessly, not knowing what to do or where to go. He was the final remaining Vessel. A Vessel was something he quickly learned he didn't like being. After giving Quagsire a crippling injury, he had thought twice about his horrible choice to join The World Destroyer's ranks. Internally rebelling against the Dark Blessing within him had cost him a lot of his memories.

"Hello there, traveler," said a kindly Happiny who had passed by. Scrafty didn't respond, not knowing how to. He looked at the young Happiny with a completely blank expression. "Are you lost?"

"L…l…" Scrafty said, trying to speak.

"Are you okay, Mister Scrafty?"

"Scrafty?" His own name was the only word he could clearly say. The young Happiny ran off, scared of the aura that was emanating from him. He then teleported off to somewhere.

* * *

Pelame and Vand had gotten started on their journey, leaving the village after gathering some new supplies. Their food rations had been replenished, as well as their water supply (Vand's Water-type attacks were not suited for drinking; too much bacteria). The forest was very large. Although they left the village, they weren't out of the woods yet. So far, no danger befell the travelers. It made for the most peaceful trip the two had had in a very long time. It almost felt strange that they managed to travel for an hour without being attacked by a Vessel or The World Destroyer, but they weren't unnerved by the calm. For the first time in months, they were relieved to be traveling in peace.

"You know," Pelame said. "Once all is said and done, I'd like to re-travel the world and see the sights again once it's all fixed."

"Me, too," Vand said. "I've missed the sight of peace. Don't surroundings like this just warm your heart?"

"Yes, it does. I think it's an aspect of the Alpha Bloodline that the happier I am, the warmer my heart and spirit gets. Do you feel that, too?"

"Yes, I have. I felt so comfortable when we got to meet that Axew baby. It was the happiest I had ever felt in the entire time since we left Pokémon Paradise."

"Same with me. I guess it was even more so for me, since, you know,…"

"And that was another thing that made me happy; to see you finally move on from that Survivor's Guilt complex you developed."

"I guess it came about because, well…" Pelame took a deep breath. "As you know, The World Destroyer is the most bloodthirsty creature who ever lived. I guess I developed that Survivor's Guilt complex because of the fact that I had lost a lot, and I mean a _lot_ of friends to her; a bunch of Pokémon familiar to me, all killed by the same murderer. Jirachi's suicide at her behest was scarring, and then when I heard that Torkoal had died, albeit of a natural cause, something in me just snapped, causing me to vow to myself that I would do anything I could to prevent anyone else from dying at her hands. And, well, you saw how well _that_ turned out; one reckless move after another. Almost Disappearing and then getting trapped in the Glade of Guilt, and then attempting to take my own life when I thought I failed to save you."

"I don't believe that last part, Pelame. Not at all. After all, I don't think you would have used Alpha Heal on me if you had really given up on everything. The fact that you even tried one last time showed how tough it is to get you to lose all hope, and even then, you gained your hope right back."

"I've been thinking of that being the case, too. Hope isn't something that can be lost permanently. As you said, I regained it after losing it. And by the way, I want to thank you for saving me from my own grief."

"Don't mention it."

"Anyway, I think that's the biggest flaw in The World Destroyer's operations. As good as she is at breaking the spirits of living things, she just can't comprehend that hope can return. After all, hope is returning to the world despite everything she spent the last eight years doing to take it away. Hope and Faith sounds like they've always been beyond her understanding."

"That would make sense, considering her mother is the spirit of Hope and Faith."

Pelame stopped in her tracks at that announcement.

"Excuse me," she said incredulously. "What was that?!"

"Oh, right," Vand said. "Your spirit hadn't recovered enough to give you awareness of the outside world when Votum made that announcement. And by the way, it surprised all of us. Keldeo took the news in a bit of an over-the-top way, as usual. But yes, Votum is The World Destroyer's mother."

"Goodness." Pelame took a little while to take that in. "I honestly don't know what to think of that other than utter shock. She must be so sad that her daughter became, well, you know…"

"Yeah. I feel so sorry for her. What must it be like to have an evil family member?"

"I'd hate to know. But I do see your point, though. I wouldn't put it past The World Destroyer to hate her own mother. And if that's the case, then that would explain a lot about her complete misunderstanding about hope and faith. Still, I'm baffled about all sorts of things concerning her; why she hates life as much as she does, why she wants it all gone, and why she even became the monster she is now. I mean, no one is born evil, right?"

"Right!" said a familiar voice. Pelame and Vand had reached the end of the forest and emerged at a small pond. There, they were greeted by Manaphy. "And boy have I got some news to share with you two! I'll explain on the way!"

"Vand, this is Manaphy," Pelame said, introducing her old ward. "Pugno and I raised this young Prince of the Sea."

"That's _King_ of the Sea to, well, anyone but you two! You can just remain on a first-name basis with me. And don't worry; I'll protect you both from the water. This pond has a cave leading to the other side of this mountain. On the other side is somewhere I hear you two are heading toward."

"You mean the Alpha Sanctuary is on the other side?!" Vand asked ecstatically.

"No, but there's a huge ruined castle of ice."

"That's the Glacier Palace! Pelame, let's get going! Lead the way, your Majesty!"

Manaphy cast his ocean power on the two, allowing them the ability to breathe underwater. The three dove in and swam into the submerged cave.

"So, what was this thing you found out?" Pelame asked.

"Remember how Walrein said that I had taken the place of an Ocean King who died mysteriously?" Manaphy began. "Well, as it turns out, the King preceding me had gone to Paradise to fill in for the Ocean Spirit, Vand. And come to think of it, your friend Vand has the same name as that Ocean Spirit! Isn't that strange?"

"Not really," Vand said. "I was told my name is another language's word for 'water.' But, wow, to share a name with an Ocean Spirit. So, what happened to Vand?"

"He Disappeared."

Pelame and Vand were horrified hearing that, especially Pelame, who had almost fallen victim to that fate.

"And, you know, since The World Destroyer was setting things up for her own resurrection, I'm thinking it was her."

"Actually, it definitely was," Pelame said. "She's the only one who liberally uses that ability, and it sounds like it's the only way to kill spirits. But what confuses me is how she was able to do that, being as she was supposed to be in limbo at the time you became the King. Didn't you get crowned about a month or so before you showed that kingdom to us?"

"Yes."

"Then, maybe it was Darkrai. After all, Darkrai was her strongest Vessel at the time. If anyone were to be trusted with her most dreaded technique, it would be him. And since The World Destroyer is a spirit herself, I'm assuming her Vessels are able to go to her home realm."

"And then the King before you went and replaced Vand after he Disappeared?" Vand asked.

"Yes, and that left the kingdom without a ruler. I met that old King once, and only once. I only found out recently about his fate, and I heard it from Kyurem. He can tell you more once you meet him, since he's currently busy piecing together the memory of when all of the world's troubles began. I'd tell you more if I heard more."

"You've said more than enough," Pelame reassured. "We thank you for your knowledge. I must say, that's fascinating; a Pokémon filling in for a spirit."

"One has to wonder why Darkrai never again used that Disappear technique," Vand said.

"He never got the chance to," Pelame answered. "He was preoccupied getting ready for the Demon Comet's arrival. He's been more significant to The World Destroyer's plans than I thought."

"Stop struggling! It'll be over soon!" said a female voice coming from near the end of the cave.

"Sheesh, why not just breathe in already?" said a male voice coming from the same area.

Pelame, Vand, and Manaphy swam forward quickly to the source of the commotion. They saw two jellyfish-like Pokémon, one pink and one blue, swimming into the cave with Blessing caught in their tentacles. Blessing was panicking and desperately trying not to breathe in. Having a low lung capacity made that hard to do. She could drown at literally any moment. Pelame's Alpha Sigil appeared over her back.

"Let her go, you bullies!" she ordered.

"An Alpha-type?!" said the pink jellyfish Pokémon. "Why would an Alpha try to help a Demon?!"

"She's not just any Demon-type!" Vand said. "She doesn't work for The World Destroyer!"

"They're telling the truth, Frillish!" Manaphy said, addressing the jellyfish. "You must let that Sneasel go!"

"Are you sure about that, sire?" the male Frillish asked.

"Yes. I met her eight years ago, and she was… well, I wouldn't say she was kind, but I will say she was a good girl. She hates The World Destroyer just as much as the rest of us do. She can help us."

The Frillish twins looked skeptical, but they decided to trust their King. "Let's let this one go, bro," said the pink Frillish.

"Sorry to upset you, sire," the blue Frillish said. The two released Blessing from their clutches. They were late in doing so, as Blessing had lost consciousness. "She's still alive. Let's get her some air." The five Pokémon got Blessing up to the shore.

"Blessing! Thank goodness!" Kelvin had come rushing toward Blessing as soon as he saw her and the other five who brought her ashore. "I'll handle this! Magus taught me how to handle this kind of thing."

Kelvin first checked for a pulse, and found one, confirming Blessing to still be alive. He then opened her mouth with his hands. "Stand back, all of you. She'll need room." After everyone backed up, Kelvin got to work resuscitating her. He put his mouth on hers and breathed in. It only took the one round to bring her back into consciousness. She awakened in a fit of coughing. At the sight of the Frillish twins, she backed away in full panic.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed. She curled up into a fetal position and cowered with her eyes scrunched shut. "I DON'T WANT TO BE DRAGGED UNDER AGAIN!"

"Blessing! Calm yourself!" Kelvin said. "It's all right. They won't hurt you."

"That's right," the blue Frillish said. "We're very sorry to have harmed you."

Blessing opened her eyes and looked into Kelvin's. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly embraced him in a tight hug. "Oh, Kelvin! I was so scared! It was like my childhood scare all over again!"

"It's all right, Blessing," Kelvin said, patting Blessing's back. "You're safe now."

"Childhood scare?" the pink Frillish asked. "Oh no! We didn't bring back an old bad memory, did we?"

"Actually, you did," Blessing said. "I know you didn't mean to, and I know how scared my Demon-type power made you. Really, I get it. But, I was really terrified of drowning. I've always been afraid of being unable to escape from a possible watery grave ever since a Tentacruel tried to drown me when I was just three years old."

"My goodness," the blue Frillish said, ashamed. "I feel like such a monster."

"That Tentacruel snatched me up in his tentacles while I was out swimming with my sister in a lake." Blessing's voice started to break as she recounted this old trauma of hers. "I thought… I really thought I was going to die that day. It was because my sister went and got help from a friendly Floatzel that I'm even alive today. I owe my life to that Floatzel and to my sister. In fact, that was one of the factors that went into her decision to want to be an Explorer. She didn't want to feel so helpless again, having to rely on someone else to do the saving. As for me, I had developed a fear of water because of that experience. My swimming skills never went beyond simple dog-paddling, and I never went under if I could help it. That's why I can only hold my breath underwater for only twenty seconds before needing air again."

"I remember you were gliding through the water with your Demon-type abilities when Manaphy took us on that tour eight years ago," Pelame said. "Is that why?"

"That's exactly why. Also, that spiel I went on about freezing in the ocean was just me trying to hide my fear. I wasn't as afraid, since Manaphy gave us the power to breathe underwater. And I was cheating out of swimming when I rescued Kelvin that day I first met him. I glided through the water when I did that rescue."

"We are very sorry to have just as good as recreated that scarring experience," the pink Frillish said. "Please, forgive us."

"Look, you two. It's fine. I'm not angry at you. In fact, I must apologize for getting you so scared in the first place. And Kelvin, thanks for resuscitating me."

"You're welcome," Kelvin responded. "I've really missed you."

Blessing's expression became somber upon hearing that. "Why have you missed me?"

Pelame and Vand knew where this was going to go, and so led the others with them as they walked away and left Blessing and Kelvin alone to talk.

"We're friends, Blessing. At one time, we were more than that."

"I know, up until I lost it." Blessing got up and kicked a stone aside in anger. "Ugh! What was _WRONG_ with me that night?! It's like I was channeling The World Destroyer when I called you a horrible son to your mother! Really, how can you not hate me for that?! Why are you so, so… why are you so nice?!" The tears started coming out all the harder.

"Blessing…"

"I know you loved me, but why did you think I deserved it? I've been the worst girlfriend in the world to you! I've been a complete bitch to you for almost the whole time you've known me! Really, I'm the last Pokémon in the world to deserve love from a boy as nice as you!"

"You're wrong, Blessing!" Kelvin finally snapped. "You _DID_ deserve my love!"

"But why?!"

"Because you're a nicer Pokémon than you give yourself credit for!" Blessing looked at Kelvin in disbelief. "Okay, I'll admit, I didn't always like how you acted. I'll even admit you could be a total… I really don't like that word you called yourself… sometimes… never call yourself that word again, please. But you know why I loved you? Because I could see past all that. I could see the kindness you had in you deep down. Your sister influenced you more than you know."

"I know. She was the nicest Pokémon I had ever known, before I met Pelame, and then you. But is hidden kindness really the reason?"

"One of them. The other reason was pity. I could tell that you were someone who needed some love. When you told me about your sister's untimely death, that urged me to make you as happy as I possibly could. Everything I've done for you, from nursing you when your tailbone got broken, to reassuring you that you aren't useless in any way, was all in the name of making you happy. And whenever you were happy, you were the nicest girl in the world. You've said that your sister was a kind one. Well, on your best days, you're such a nice girl that I think I have an idea of how nice your sister was. You may not be a reflection of her, but you don't need to be. Just be you. Be the kind girl you are deep down. But do keep us amused with your sarcasm, just as long as it doesn't get out of hand and become flat-out rudeness."

"I really matter that much to you?"

"Of course you do."

"But one thing bothers me. I know you explained why you're so nice to me, and why you think I deserve your kindness. But that doesn't mean you should just handwave all my rudeness away. I'm serious; there's no excusing some of my meanest actions."

"I'll admit that I was no perfect boyfriend. After all, frankly, I _have_ been a bit too submissive of your rudeness. And I guess that caused you to not realize when you crossed the line from being sarcastic to just being mean. Indeed, there isn't any handwaving your meanest incidents away. But there is forgiving them."

"But I haven't even apologized!"

"Then do it now."

Blessing took a deep breath, and with every bit of sincerity in her heart, said, "Kelvin, I'm sorry I called you a bad son."

"And also, I'm sorry for breaking your heart in that same night."

"That's okay, Kelvin. All is forgiven."

"You're forgiven, too, Blessing."

The two stared into each others' eyes and then shared a loving and passionate kiss. After breaking away from it, the two resumed talking.

"I love you, Kelvin."

"I love you too, Blessing."

"I guess we're an item again, huh?"

"If you want to be."

"Totally. And we'll be an even better couple than we were before, now that we've gotten our problems settled."

"That, we will." The two then kissed again.

* * *

Later that day, the travelers happened upon a split in the road. Pelame and Vand went left while Blessing and Kelvin went right, vowing to meet up at the peak of the mountain off in the horizon. The left path didn't take Pelame and Vand too far out of the way to the Alpha Sanctuary, but it was enough to make them travel parallel to the mountain range ahead. This path was where their current destination was waiting at the end of. Though they weren't heading immediately toward the mountain range, they were headed toward a smaller mountain that marked the beginning of a hike. A single cave entrance lay ahead of them. The entrance was marked with an Alpha Sigil.

It was bright inside the cave, allowing Pelame and Vand to see without any need of their Alpha Vision ability. Text on the walls were written in an ancient language that they had never seen before, but were able to read them as if they had always known the writing.

"This cavern serves as the border to the Alpha Land," Pelame read aloud.

"You've made it," said a familiar voice. "Welcome to the Alpha Continent, where Ken and I grew up."

The spirit of Grani had appeared before Pelame and Vand.

"This is the continent where Ken and I became the world's first Alpha-types, and where the Alpha and Demon war was fought. By making it this far, you are both almost at the conclusion of your journey."

"So, we're where it all began?" Vand asked. "The troubles of the world began here?"

"Yes," Grani answered. "This hall is the dedication place to all Alpha-types, past and present. Come with me."

The two followed Grani into a large rectangular hallway. The ceiling had a mural of Arceus and Votum. On the walls were murals depicting every Alpha-type that had ever lived. On the left wall were the Pokémon who were Alpha-types, and on the right wall were human Alpha-types.

"There you are!" Pelame said, looking at the mural of Grani on the left wall. A staff with the Alpha Sigil on the end of it was floating above him, presumably being levitated by his Psychic power.

"And this must be Ken!" Vand said, looking at a mural of a young man carrying a sword with the Alpha Sigil on its handle.

On the Pokémon side of the hall, Pelame had seen Pokémon of identical species to the Alpha-types she currently knew, inferring them to be her friends' ancestors. Vand, having never seen a human before, couldn't identify anyone familiar. However, at the end of the line, he saw two humans of nearly identical age standing next to each other. For some reason, those two interested him most.

"You might know those two," said a voice unfamiliar to the two travelers. A spirit of a human had appeared next to Grani. Pelame and Vand knew instantly who this one was.

"You're Ken, right?" they asked.

"Yes, I am," he answered. "Pleased to meet you both. As for those two humans you're looking at, you know them both." He pointed at the one who was next-to-last in the line. "This is Pugno, who now belongs there." He pointed to the left wall at a mural of a Lucario, who was standing next to the mural of Pelame.

"For the present Alpha-types, this hall keeps track of their current forms," Grani explained. "As humans grow, the murals update themselves to reflect that. And when a Pokémon grows up and evolves, that's also taken into account."

"So, Pugno evolved," Pelame said, sounding proud.

"And so did Torden, apparently," Vand said, looking at a Raichu mural that was adjacent to the last of the human murals. "But why did the chain of humans stop?"

"The last two human Alpha-types became Pokémon," Ken answered. "Your friends Pugno and Torden were those two. Unfortunately, that means the human race has gone completely extinct. Now, only Pokémon and spirits exist in this world."

"Ken, we're so sorry about that," Pelame said.

"Don't blame yourselves. I am familiar with how this came to be so. That's another thing you will be learning in the Glacier Palace, where we're going to."

"Before we leave, though," Grani said. "There's one more thing you must see."

The next chamber was a round one, and it was the final room of the cave.

"This is the only room with a mural of the future," Grani said. "On the ceiling is that mural."

Pelame and Vand looked up to see a mural that looked incomplete. All they could see was a four-legged creature with what looked like ribbons adorning it. It had no face and no other discernable features of any kind. It was also the only mural with text on it. Pelame read it aloud.

"The loss of the chosen one's hope will beget the beginning of The World Rebuilder's emergence, upon the return of the chosen one's hope and faith. Combined with the hope and faith of the chosen one and all who support peace, despair and doubt will vanish from the world and complete the rise of The World Rebuilder. The World Destroyer will then meet her fate, and the world will finally know true peace."

"Who's that Pokémon?" Vand asked.

"No one knows the species of that one," Grani answered.

"It sounds like I really am destined to be the one to save the world," Pelame said. "You know, I've never really been one to follow a path set out for me, but I have no problem that I picked a path that led to where destiny is saying I was to go. Besides, I want a peaceful world just as much as anyone. I'll do it."

"That's good to hear," Grani said. "Now, we must get to the Glacier Palace soon."

On the way out, Vand suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Pelame, did you hear that?" he asked.

"_Vand… help…"_

"It sounds like someone's calling for help."

"_Vand…Purify…"_

"It sounds like Scrafty!"

The two left the cave after the spirits of Grani and Ken disappeared. Outside the cave, they found Scrafty standing there, staring blankly at nothing in particular.

"Scrafty?" Vand called to his friend.

"Sc…raf…ty…"

"Scrafty! Are you all right?"

Scrafty turned his head slowly to face Vand. "Sc…raf…ty…"

"It's me, Vand!"

Something was repelling Pelame from getting near the Vessel.

"Sc…raf…ty… Sc…raf…ty… Scraf…ty…"

"Snap out of it!" Vand said, getting ready to Purify his friend. Suddenly, Scrafty jumped away.

"Scraf…ty… Scraf…ty… Scrafty… who… wh…"

Vand made another move to go in for the Purification, but Scrafty evaded again. But when he tried to teleport away, Pelame stopped him from beyond the force field.

"Scrafty… is… is… no more…"

Vand could see what had just happened.

"Scrafty has ceased to be. He has been lost to oblivion!"

It was Scrafty's voice, though it was obviously The World Destroyer acting through him. He lunged at Vand with a Mortite axe in hand.

"World Destroyer," Vand declared bravely. "You will not keep my friend on your side for any longer. I will release him from you!" He readied his Alpha Amulet in one hand and his scalchop in the other hand and got ready for battle.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Vand's Vision – N's Castle (Pokemon Black 2/ White 2, YoshiDude12's remix)

Forest Outskirts – Fungi Forest (Donkey Kong 64 OST)

Undertow Corridor – Mermaid's Cave (The Legend of Zelda – Oracle of Ages, remix by HighwindIV)

Blessing and Kelvin Start Over – Kairi (Kingdom Hearts II OST)

Shrine of the Alpha Bloodline – Temple of Seasons (The Legend of Zelda – Oracle of Seasons, piano remix by ParkerChapin)

Scrafty Attacks – [Event] Mephiles' Whisper (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 OST)

* * *

**A/N: By the way, when reviewing this chapter, see if you can correctly tell me which language Vand's name is for the word "water."**


	19. Chapter 19 - The Truth

Chapter 19 – The Truth

* * *

Scrafty got the first strike, which knocked Vand's scalchop out of his hand. He almost gave in to the urge to try to summon it back to his hand, but didn't upon remembering that a scalchop can't be reclaimed so easily. For the time being, he took on a defensive approach. Lately, he had excelled in defense, and it was helping out a lot here. But this wouldn't be as easy as shattering Meloetta's scythe had been, being as Scrafty was a more powerful Vessel, and The World Destroyer learns from each battle. Acting through Scrafty passed this knowledge onto him, making this Vand's toughest battle yet. But it made no difference to him. He had a friend to save. Pelame was busy chipping away at the force-field confining the combatants, as well as keeping the Vessel from teleporting away.

"Hydro Cannon!" Vand shouted, shooting out a powerful blast of water from his mouth. The stream was evaporated by a Diabolic Inferno blast from Scrafty. As Scrafty was a very strong Vessel (being the last one left made him the strongest one by default), his attack overpowered Vand's, and the Alpha-type sustained a painful burn to his head. He worked through the pain to try tackling the Vessel with an Aqua Jet attack, managing to jump over a swing of the axe just in time. The axe swing let out a Heart Stopper wave, which hit Vand directly and damaged him significantly. Vand's timely cancellation of his Aqua Jet attack served to mitigate the damage done to himself, so he was at least able to avoid getting paralyzed. Scrafty then leapt at Vand and aimed an overhead jumping slice at him. Vand jumped back, but then fell into the small trench that Scrafty had opened up with his attack. The Vessel then covered the trench up, attempting to bury Vand alive.

"Let your glimmer of hope fade!" Scrafty said, though it was actually The World Destroyer talking. He stood atop where he had buried Vand and transformed his axe into a large ball and chain. He levitated into the air and let the giant ball drop on the spot. A use of Aqua Jet allowed Vand to escape from the ground. He quickly brought up an Alpha Guard to block the falling ball, though it pushed him back down to the ground. It was too heavy for him to hold up, so he used Aqua Jet to rocket himself out from under there, barely avoiding being crushed. He then turned back around and, coating himself in an Alpha Aura, launched himself at the chain connecting the ball to the handle. He broke it, and then destroyed the ball with a well-placed Alpha Blast. He finished jetting around after picking up his scalchop. However, this distracted him from Scrafty turning the handle of his weapon into a warhammer, which he knocked him in the head with. He still had a burn there, making the attack hurt all the more. He swung his Razor Shell at Scrafty, but the hammer was stronger, and the scalchop shattered upon contact. The Alpha Guard he brought up as a final defense met the same fate, and Vand was struck again. From those blows, he sustained a painful concussion. The pain was making him produce tears in his eyes. Scrafty was a much stronger opponent than he was cracked up to be, so strong that Vand was actually losing the fight.

"_I have to save him, no matter what!"_ Vand thought to himself. He had very little strength left, but he mustered it to stand up again. When Scrafty came at him to deliver the finishing blow, Vand brought his Alpha Amulet forward to Purify the Vessel. Scrafty caught on immediately and backed off, throwing his hammer at Vand, whose evasive maneuver caused him to be hit in the shoulder instead of the head. Another blow like that would dislocate it. Scrafty came forth and reclaimed his hammer. He now relied on ranged attacks, knowing that Vand was trying to use his own close-range attacks as a chance to Purify him. Vand was being worn down fast, and soon, he finally collapsed out of fatigue. Scrafty still wouldn't chance getting close to Vand.

"Well, Vand," Scrafty said, speaking The World Destroyer's words. "You had this coming, ever since the part you played in opposing the Bittercold. I will now relieve you of your spirit, and then, Pelame will be next!"

Scrafty got a Heart Stopper blast ready to kill the young Oshawott. He stopped before he could launch it.

"Never!" he shouted. "You're not going to use me for this! I'll never kill Vand! He's my friend!"

At that moment, Pelame finally broke through the force-field and got ready to Purify Scrafty herself.

"Pelame! Purify me, quick!"

"Not a chance!" Scrafty shouted, falling back under The World Destroyer's control. "Here is where your quest ends!" Unable to resist the evil spirit any longer, Scrafty launched a Death Sentence beam at both of the Alphas in front of him. By instinct, Pelame stood her ground. Her Alpha Sigil materialized and blocked the attack, serving as an Alpha Guard. The beam got absorbed into the Sigil and fired back at Scrafty as an Alpha-type attack. But Scrafty got back up and charged Pelame, knocking her into Vand. Suddenly, he felt something touch him, freezing him in his tracks. Vand had finally touched his Alpha Amulet to Scrafty and began Purifying the Vessel. This was a bad idea on Vand's part, as he was severely weakened. The Dark Blessing crept into Vand's spirit and wasted no time in beginning to make him Disappear. Pelame intervened with an Alpha Purify of her own.

"We'll save him together!" Pelame's spirit said to Vand's.

"All right! Thanks for your help!" Vand's spirit said back.

As strong as Scrafty was against Vand's spirit, Pelame's was much stronger against his. Of the three of them, hers was the strongest. He wouldn't have had a chance against her alone, but teaming herself up with Vand served to seal his fate completely. At last, Scrafty had been Purified. And with that, The World Destroyer had lost her final Vessel. The ordeal left Scrafty unconscious, but they could tell he was alive.

"Now it's only The World Destroyer, right?" Vand asked.

"Yes," Pelame answered. "She gets no power from Blessing, so even if she's never Purified, we don't have to worry about there being one we missed. By the way, he, or rather, The World Destroyer acting through him, mentioned that 'Bittercold' thing again. I remember hearing all the details about that thing and what you, Torden, and your friends did to stop it, but…"

"I hope that's something else we find out about soon. After all, the collapse of time ought to be a conspicuous event, right? No conspiracy in the world could cover up something like that. Also, we'll maybe find out why the ruins aren't anywhere near where the palace was when it collapsed."

"Well, here's hoping those are parts of what we're going to find out. In the meantime, what should we do with Scrafty?"

"I'll take him to Magus," said Votum, who arrived to greet the two travelers. She picked Scrafty up and held him in both arms. "You two proceed through the field of Mortite. You'll find the Glacier Palace ruins there. My memory of the truth you're about to find out about has already been imparted to Kyurem. He'll explain the rest."

"We're very obliged, Votum," Pelame said. "We'll see you soon."

"Likewise. I wish you both a safe journey." With that, Votum was off to deliver Scrafty to safety.

"All right. We've got a journey to almost finish," Vand said.

"Right. Let's go."

* * *

On the highest point of the plateau was a field entirely covered in Mortite. It was a strange sensation walking on it; some areas were freezing to the touch, while other areas were blazing hot. Pelame and Vand put small Alpha Guards around their feet, so as not to feel any of the pain. The field was completely barren of all life. The sight of the place unnerved the two travelers.

"The war happened here," Grani said, appearing before the two. "And it ended here. The battlefield has been covered in Mortite ever since. The mineral created by The World Destroyer."

"Did she make it so painful to walk on, then?" Vand asked.

"Not exactly. Mortite is an evil element made out of the Dark Blessing itself. It's a crystal element that crystalizes living bodies. In fact, you could say that bodies are a main ingredient of Mortite, and that's also why it can contain spirits. However, a Mortite body can't be brought to life by a spirit trapped in it, like with a flesh and blood body like yours. Mortite is basically a spirit prison. The properties of a contained spirit carry over to make it feel the way it does: the spirit of someone who was cold and cruel, for example, would make the Mortite containing that spirit freezing cold to the touch."

"I see," Pelame said. "So this stuff is what was coating me when that one Dark Blessing tried to make me Disappear eight years ago. I can't believe this."

"Me neither," Vand added. "Just about everything I hear about The World Destroyer makes her sound more and more evil. Whether it be the means to accomplishing her goal, her actions against those who oppose her and to bystanders, and now this. I already get the feeling that whatever we're set to find out in the Glacier Palace is going the dig her even deeper!"

"Speaking of the palace, we've arrived."

Indeed, they had. Fairly far from the Mortite-covered battlefield was the ruins of the Glacier Palace, the climax of Vand and Torden's quest to save the world of Pokémon. And yet, for some reason, no one but he and his friends had ever known about it. But that didn't matter now. What mattered now was that the two had finally reached the destination that Vand kept having visions about. And now, it was time to solve the mystery. The travelers entered the ruins.

* * *

The interior of the palace ruins were darker than the night, prompting use of the Alpha Vision technique to light the way. The palace was strictly ice, which was safe to walk on, and surprisingly not that slippery. To Vand, being in this place was an unsettling feeling. He, Pelame, and Grani's spirit were the only living things in the palace ruins. Other than them, the ruins were absolutely deserted.

One thing was still on Vand's mind, though. This area of the world was not geographically where the Glacier Palace crumbled after Torden had killed the Bittercold. Taking a good look at the ruins outside earlier had told him that the Glacier Palace he had been to with his friends was only part of a bigger structure, and going deeper into the ruins further convinced him of that. That meant they wouldn't enter Kyurem's throne room, nor the Bittercold's chamber. The point where the ruins ended appeared to be a different throne room, one that reminded Pelame of the room where she and Pugno fought Grovyle in the Grey Castle about eight years ago. In fact, that was exactly what this current room looked like, almost as if they were modeled after each other. Grovyle had been a Vessel back then, and now that Pelame thought more about it, that had been a clue about the fact that The World Destroyer was set to return to the world.

"Vand, your Frism," Grani said. "Set it on the throne."

"Got it," Vand said, doing as told. Whatever was set to happen, Vand was ready for it when he warmed the Frism to activate it. He'd known since Munna gave it to him that this was not the normal kind of Frism. Frisms only preserved sounds and were made of ice. This Frism was made of Mortite, as he had just now realized. Once it activated, the entire palace seemed to change shape, and became even darker. The icy architecture turned into Mortite, and the broken door behind the throne became fixed. Even stranger was the fact that this Mortite didn't hurt to walk on, even without an Alpha Guard on their feet.

"At the top," Grani said. "You both will learn the truth. See you there." Grani's spirit disappeared back into Pelame's glowing Alpha Sigil.

"Ready, Vand?" Pelame asked.

Vand had had this dream before, and it recently ended at the point where he and Pelame were to go through the door. Now, he was finally going to get clarification.

"Yes. Let's go," he said bravely.

He and Pelame stepped through the door, ready to scale the palace and find out the truth.

* * *

As Vand suspected earlier, the Glacier Palace really was just a part of a bigger castle. The castle they were currently in was gigantic and made of Mortite. It was quite a task even going forward, as there seemed to be no clear way to go. Pelame remembered the Grey Castle using this exact same trick to lead intruders astray by tricking them into fake passages that took them in circles, or any direction except forward. But she had a workaround then, and it was sure to work now.

"Alpha Reveal," she said. Just like back in the Grey Castle, the move worked. All the fake doors vanished. In fact, all nine of the doors vanished, indicating that every single one of them was fake. When Vand tripped over a groove in the floor, Pelame got a clue as to which was truly the way forward. "Below us. Let's go down here."

With Vand's help, Pelame got the trapdoor open and went down the stairs. There was nothing at the bottom of the shaft. The floor suddenly jolted and rose up, revealing itself to be a floating platform.

"You know, this makes me wonder why we didn't just use our Alpha power to make a platform path of our own," Pelame said.

"Because we'd likely miss out on a lot of areas that could explain some things," Vand answered. "Leaving gaps in the mystery we're trying to solve. We'd probably even go right past Kyurem if we cheated like that."

"Excellent point."

The platform took them two floors up. It dropped them off in a room that looked like living quarters.

"This was the room I stayed in when I lived here," Grani said. "Back before it got turned into a Mortite structure."

"I see," Vand said. "So it was something else first, then a Mortite castle, and then an ice palace."

"Exactly. We're near the top."

The next two floors were fairly straightforward with no tricks trying to goad them into going the wrong way. The room they were now in was yet another throne room, though this one looked different from the one many floors down. Above the throne was an object that was horrifyingly familiar to Vand.

"Pelame, look there!" he said, pointing to the throne ornament. "That's the Bittercold!"

The object wasn't moving at all, nor did it exude any Winds of Despair. Even if it did, it would have had no effect on them, being as they were Alpha-types.

"That's strange," Pelame said, confused. "It looks just like that Sigil she has on her clothing, and the Sigil she fires her Death Sentence beam out of."

"I think it is. I'm beginning to think she made the Bittercold in the shape of her own Sigil. And the fact that it's evidently made out of Mortite explains quite a lot of things. When we find Kyurem, remind me to ask him about this."

"Will do."

With that, the travelers continued on, going into a door below the throne. Looking out the window of the corridor they were in showed that they were near the top. This likely was the way up there. But before they reached the top, something caught Vand's interest.

"Pelame, look at this!" he called, showing her the object. It appeared to be a Wonder Map engraved on regular ice.

"It's a map of the Pokémon World!" Pelame said.

"It is? I don't see anything familiar on it. Where's Post Town? Hazy Pass? Ochre Quarry? The Holehills? The Great Glacier? I don't see any of that on here."

"This map can't be a fake one. These are all places I've seen before. See? There's Fogbound Lake, Crystal Cave, Treeshroud Forest, the Dark Crater, and Treasure Town." She pointed to each of the places she listed.

"I've never heard of a single one of those places, actually. This just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

As Vand said that, he stepped on another object just like the one they were holding. It was another map, but this time, Vand recognized it.

"Now _here's_ the real map. See? This is Post Town, Hazy Pass, Ochre Quarry, The Holehills, and The Great Glacier. And here's where Pokémon Paradise was built." Vand pointed out each location, ending at the area to the right of Post Town. "Except for Pokémon Paradise and Post Town, have you really never been to any of these places?"

"None of them. But I'm not saying you made them all up, it's just that I've really never seen those places. It's strange, since I've been everywhere in the world, along with Pugno."

"Evidently, you haven't. And neither have I, seeing as I've heard nothing until now about the places you've been, or even about the stuff that happened when you first started out. I mean, at first I was thinking it's because I'm way younger than you, but that would have meant that your travels could have taken you to the places I've been to. But they didn't, so…"

"And, come to think of it, neither of us had ever heard of the Alpha Continent before. It's like it appeared out of nowhere, just like how we're thinking each others' homelands—"

Pelame stopped herself as soon as she noticed something. The two maps had been stacked on one another, and now that Pelame got a better look at it, she saw something she hadn't before. On both of the maps was a huge empty space on the opposing half of them; the landmasses Pelame was familiar with was on only the west side of one of the maps, and the land Vand was familiar with was on only the east side of the other map. When stacked, the maps completed each other. Now, it was all clear to the two.

"Unbelievable," Pelame said, dumbstruck. "The world of Pokémon was once one giant world."

"At some point," Vand said. "Our continents must have become hidden from each other, to the point where the other never appeared on a map from the opposite one."

"And as for the Alpha Continent…" Pelame found another icy map and stacked it on top of the other two maps, putting the Alpha Continent on the very top of the world. The maps then melted into each other and became the true map of the Pokémon World. "…what in the world _happened_ to the world?!"

The two emerged in the final room to await the answer to all their questions. As expected, Kyurem was waiting there for them.

"Kyurem, thank goodness you're safe!" Vand said. "Now then, may I ask: _what in the world is going on?"_

"It is good to see you have both arrived safely," Kyurem said. "And yes, you will both learn the truth now that the gaps in my memory have been filled in by the Frism of Memories you brought here. Your encounters with the other Legendary Pokémon have made this encounter possible."

Pelame and Vand gave their undivided attention to Kyurem.

"As you have discovered from those maps you found in the antechamber of this room, the world of Pokémon was once one world. It became split into three after the incident where existence nearly Disappeared."

"That was what Ken and I worked together to put a stop to," Grani said, appearing before the group again.

"And after all was said and done, the world became three. But it was not only our world that got ravaged. Before that, Paradise itself was ravaged. In her initial bid for power, The World Destroyer cold-bloodedly murdered lots of her fellow spirits, prompting many Pokémon loyal to the spirits to take the place of the deceased ones: Dialga took the place, job, and abilities of Chronos, the spirit of Time, for example. As for me, I've taken the place of the Spirit of the Boundary between worlds. That was the job of Terminus, The World Destroyer's father. The day I took on that job was the day the boundaries between the worlds were established after the split. My corruption by the Bittercold served to distract me from the fact that the boundary was fading. I had become the Bittercold's servant for the sole purpose of keeping me from maintaining the boundary. If our side of the world had been destroyed, my undoing would have collapsed the boundary sooner."

"Speaking of the Bittercold, where did it come from?" Vand asked. "My friends and I always thought it came from everyone's negative emotions."

"As a matter of fact," Kyurem explained. "That was only half-correct. The Bittercold was The World Destroyer's very first spirit experiment. She carved it out of Mortite and placed a piece of her own spirit in it. The Bittercold was quite literally her first Vessel, but after Grani and Ken defeated her all those years ago, it deactivated. It was left on the continent that became the world Vand came from, and the negative emotions everyone started exhibiting brought it back to life and started it on its mission: to corrupt me, weaken the world's boundary, and destroy one third of the world of Pokémon."

"So, The World Destroyer was the true enemy of our world, then," Vand said.

"Not just our world, Vand, but Pelame's, too. As I have mentioned, Pokémon with special loyalty to the spirits can replace a spirit who has died, just like I did when Terminus died. Darkrai came to be a threat to Pelame's world because of what The World Destroyer had planned for him. He was not only the first Pokémon Vessel she ever made, but he was the one who took her place when she was defeated all those years ago. Just as she conditioned him to, Darkrai temporarily became the Spirit of the End of the World. But, when a Pokémon takes the place of a spirit, they can't take on every single ability the spirit had. The only reason Darkrai never used any Demon-type abilities when he first encountered you, Pelame, was because he couldn't yet. Not even Dialga could completely replace Chronos, which was why he could descend into madness should anything happen to Temporal Tower. Unlike Chronos, his time abilities were linked to that tower, which normally keeps time flowing only in the physical world."

"Also, do you happen to know why neither of us were ever able to use Alpha Powers until recently?" Pelame asked.

"That, too, was The World Destroyer's doing. I don't know the identities of the Vessels in particular who did this, but the Demon-types have an ability known as 'Alpha Block.' It didn't appear to work on your parents when it was used on them, but it worked on the next ones in line. The next ones were you two, as well as Pugno and Torden. But somehow, Pugno had been able to keep the Dimensional Scream ability for all his life despite being afflicted. It was likely his first experience with friendship that allowed him to exhibit that ability, since it works best around a trusted partner."

"Okay, now just one more question," Vand said. "Where does the human world factor into all this?"

"I'm glad you asked, because this is also very important, and it factors into what you are about to see. This Alpha Continent we now stand on is in fact the human world Torden was summoned from. But as you can see, there are no more humans. Pugno and Torden were the last two, and now that they're Pokémon, the human race is completely extinct. But there was indeed a time where humans and Pokémon coexisted, living under the protection of the spirits. Until The World Destroyer attacked, all was peaceful."

"She really was the root of all the world's problems, then," Pelame clarified.

Kyurem then gave a staff to Pelame. "Both of you touch this," he said. "The vision you will experience will tell the rest."

"Grani, wasn't this yours?" Pelame asked.

"Yes, but it's yours now," Grani answered.

As told, Pelame and Vand touched the staff.

"You two are going to see how all of this started, and how Ken and I put a stop to The World Destroyer's first attempt at making existence Disappear. It should make everything else clear to you."

Pelame and Vand felt the familiar dizzy sensation before their vision went dark. A light shot across their vision, and the Dimensional Scream took effect once more.

* * *

Suggested music for this chapter:

Vand vs Scrafty – Dismiss (Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST)

Mortite Field – Keyblade Graveyard Horizon (Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST)

Glacier Palace Ruins – N's Castle (Pokemon Black 2/ White 2, YoshiDude12's remix)

Mortite Castle – N's Castle (Pokemon Black / White, YoshiDude12's remix)

The Truth – Mournful Sages (The Legend of Zelda – Twilight Princess OST)

* * *

**A/N: This chapter, and the next one, are the ones I have always wanted to write most of all.**


End file.
